Nathan's birth story...

This is Nathan's birth story.  Oh yeah, I have been calling him N just to get started, but as I go along I know I will forget so there we go!  My husband's name is Dave, just in case you wanted to know!  I thought I would share this story because it is a big part of who we all are today!

I went off BC October of 2008 to let nature take it's course for my husband and I. We found out April 2, 2009 that I was pregnant and we were super excited! I wouldn't call my pregnancy easy or hard...just a little complicated. I spotted at 4 weeks with implantation bleeding, then again at 8 weeks, which they said could still be more implantation bleeding. For the next few weeks I would spot or bleed off and on each week and then at 13 weeks I had some major bleeding like a heavy period. My husband and I got ourselves prepared for the worst and went to the hospital. After an internal exam and an ultrasound we found out everything was ok and I just needed to take it easy and they diagnosed a "threatened miscarriage" which is a really sucky term! For the next 2 weeks there was on and off bleeding until it finally stopped like magic at week 15. So at this point we hoped I would breeze through the rest of my pregnancy.

Fast forward 12 weeks to 26 weeks and 6 days, Labor Day. The only issue I have had in the mean time was a UTI. I go to the final baseball game my husband works for 2009. For some reason that evening I can't stand the smell of his breath! He says he has brushed and rinsed but for some reason I can't even breathe near him...which seems really weird to me! That evening I get home a little later than usual so I go straight to bed. My husband comes in late because they always celebrate the final game. He comes in, takes his shower, brushed and rinses and comes to bed. For the rest of the evening I am holding my breath because I can't stand the smell coming from him! I knew this was off because he always smells nice! I even go as far as spraying air freshener over him as he sleeps! For the remainder of the night I am feeling nauseous so I flip and sleep at the foot of the bed...again very unusual for me!

I get up the next morning and go into the bathroom and realize that my shorts are damp. I thought maybe it was just a heavy discharge so I get ready and go to work. When I got to work I decided to look up on the Internet heavy discharge during pregnancy and realized that based off of what it looked like it could be amniotic fluid, so I called the doctor and ask to speak to the nurse. I explained to her what happened and she said just in case I should come in to see the doctor. So I call my human resource manager and said I was going to the doctor to make sure my water wasn't broken and to be sure I wasn't in labor...man that was a loaded statement! I get to the doctor and they do an internal exam, I figured it would be like all of the other times and that everything would be ok. The doctor then says what I was least expecting...you are 5 cm dilated! The first thing I do is laugh...and then when it really hit me I started crying! She then decides to do an ultrasound to make sure Nathan was ok and he was...strong heartbeat and moving like a maniac! We call my husband to come pick me up and he takes me to the hospital.

At the hospital another one of my doctors does a more thorough check and finds that I am 3 cm dilated. They call the Neonatologist and he comes in to explain all of the things that can happen to him if he was born that day...which scared the hell out of us! I got the first steroid shot and we just waited. My doctor wanted to wait to see how things were progressing to decide what to do next. The hospital I was at could only deliver my baby if I was 28 weeks but I was only 27 weeks. They didn't know for sure if I could hold out that long. After a few more hours of waiting they decided they didn't want to risk it and put me in an ambulance and sent me 2 1/2 hours to Baltimore!

Flash forward we are now in Baltimore and it is midnight. They monitor me and pump me with fluids and antibiotics to be sure I don't get an infection. I have had a few contractions but none that I can feel. Throughout the next day I get the 2nd steroid shot and just wait some more...I am very cranky since I have not eaten solid food since the morning before...for dinner the night before they gave me liquids. This was my moment of being selfish! They do more internal exams and realize that I have not really progressed at all so they decide to admit me to antepardom (sp?) for bed rest. And the waiting begins. The goal was to get me to 34 weeks most likely in the hospital the entire time. My water hasn't fully broke and they are worried that if I get in the car and drive on bumpy roads 2 1/2 hours that I would break my water and since he was still so small I could have him during the drive.

Another week and a half goes by and my husband comes back after working for the week. It is Friday and he goes out to get us Taco Bell. I am feeling extra heartburn that evening (wonder why!) so I take some of the medicine they gave me and went to bed. At about 3 am I wake up thinking the Taco Bell is giving me stomach cramps. I lay in bed for about half an hour hoping they will go away. They are not so I try to go to the bathroom (sorry TMI). I think I feel better but then the cramps come back again about 10 minutes later. So I go back into the bathroom and wait...finally I decide to go get my phone and time each time the cramps come back, every 10 minute I get stomach cramps for 1 minute. Finally at about 4:30 I decide to wake up my husband and call the nurse. I tell her what is going on and she goes to get the monitor. Before she puts me on more nurses come in and said forget it we are taking her to L&D to monitor.

We get to L&D where they monitor and do ultrasounds and internal checks. Luckily my parents were coming that day so I gave them a warning before they left so they brought separate cars so my mom could stay. They keep me there trying to stop contractions and at 4 pm decide to do a final check and if I haven't progressed then they would send me back to my room. When they check me they find I am 5 cm dilated and then let me know that this is it, they will not be able to stop and he was coming! At this point they start Pitocin to move things along since it has already been 13 hours and I request an epidural so I can relax.

Unfortunately the epidural made me a little whacked out! My blood pressure dropped and I felt like for the next evening that I was in a tunnel telling myself I needed to breathe! It helped with the pain, but I felt like I was a hot mess. I also think it was because I was so exhausted! So we all try to go to bed that evening and wait things out. I get checked every few hours by the doctor and I keep progressing. Finally at about 4:45 am they break the rest of my water (I thought it fully broke 1 1/2 weeks earlier!) and I was 9 cm. They said they would check again in an hour. During this time I feel like I really have to go to the bathroom and they let try the bedpan (again TMI!). I try for 10 minutes and then the nurse came in said she was afraid I would push a baby out so she thought I should stop! So I did and all of a sudden every minute I started feeling intense pressure in my bottom that would make me shake and push.

So we finally get the doctor in at about 5:30-5:40 am and tell her what is going on, she checks me and sure enough I am 10 cm! She asked for me to hold off a few minutes from pushing because they need the NICU staff...unfortunately my body had different plans and started pushing on its own! Luckily within 2 minutes they were in the room and we were ready to push. From what I know it was about 5:50 am at this point and they said ok push! During the next few minutes everything went crazy...my husband almost passed out from not eating since lunch the day before so the nurses gave him juice and helped him out...and my mom popped out of nowhere to hold my hand since I decided at the last minute that she needed to stay in the room or I might loose it! I kept yelling that I was going to throw up (of course there was nothing to throw up). And then at 5:56 am...yes 6 minutes later, Nathan came into our world and rocked our universe!

He came out peeing on the table and they took him over to the incubator, cleaned him up, he peed on the nurse and started crying...and again my universe rocked! All of a sudden the room lightened when they realized he was ok and healthy. They let me hold him for a few minutes and then took him to the NICU.

2 hours later I was able to see him and he was perfect, all 3 lbs 9 oz of him! He stayed in Baltimore for 10 days and then was considered stable enough to make the 2 1/2 hour trip home to our hospital, where he stayed until his one month birthday. Today Nate is a happy and healthy 15 month old and you would never believe he was once a preemie!  He is now in the 50th percentile for his height and weight and for the most part keeps up with children his age.  I am so proud of my baby boy!

Nathan the day he was born...

Nathan and his daddy on Christmas Eve...

karma is a biotch part 3...the saga continues

Well last night things came to a head between N and I.  As per one of my mommy commenter's I decided to let the boy cry it out over night.  It was tough but I think over time it will work.  He was able to get himself back to sleep a few times so I think I will keep doing it.

He first woke up at 11:15 pm.  I gave him a drink of water, he threw the cup, so I took it and walked out of his room and closed the door.  He immediately started crying so I went to our room and waited.  After about 15 minutes he was still crying so I went in, lied him back down, told him we were not leaving him and he can relax and go to sleep.  I patted his back for a minute and he calmed down and went to sleep.

He next woke up at 1:22 am.  Again I offered the water, he did not want it, so I left and closed the door.  Again the crying started and lasted for about 10 minutes.  When I checked on him he was lying down snoring so that worked!

Finally at 4:50 am he woke up crying again.  I tried one last time with the water and he again did not want it.  I felt his diaper and it was filled to the brim so I decided if he was going to calm down it would be with a dry diaper.  After I was finished I left again and the crying continued.  15 minutes pass and I go to check on him and of course he pooped (sorry TMI)!  So again I change him and put him to bed, he fell asleep and that lasted a few minutes when finally I realized there was no more sleeping.

So at 5:40 am I gave in and took him down to watch Sesame Street.  He then proceeded to fall asleep on me on the couch!  Of course he would when we only have 1/2 an hour before I need to get up to get ready!

All in all I think it was pretty successful.  I decided to let him cry it out because either way we do things there is no sleep and we had not tried this yet.  Hopefully we can get somewhere with this!  Now I just have to keep D from caving tonight when the boy starts crying...

Pardon the appearance

I am in the process of formatting this blog!  I was playing around at work and I made this header...and then I changed the background and can't change the header at home!  I am trying to make this more my own.  So hopefully I will get it soon!

karma is a biotch...cont.

Poor D has had a rough week.  It was his night again last night and N got up at midnight and then refused to go back to sleep.  I decided to try and help and the kid was literally flailing his body around in my arms because he wanted down to play.  Of course I was ready to spit fire by this point so I put him in the crib and tried to pat his back so he would sleep.  It worked and he fell asleep. 

So I crawled back into bed.  15 minutes later we hear the cry again so I go back in, pat him to sleep and walk out.  Five minutes later the crying starts again!  So D takes him downstairs and they spend the rest of the evening having a boys only slumber party.  Poor D is getting the crap end of the stick!

On my nights he at least sleeps until 5:30 am!  So what do you think is happening?  Do you think D has fun parties in the living room on his nights and that is why N gets up?  I don't know but it sure seems that way! 

So I am putting this out there for more experienced parents...how the heck do we get this kid to sleep again?  It happens every other night as of this point.  Hopefully karma does not come back to bite me in the ass and he gets up on my nights too!  I am starting to really feel for D because his lack of sleeping now!

Oh how I miss the days of my baby sleeping like this...

When I was your age we walked to school uphill both ways in a foot of SNOW!

Why is it that when there is a report of weather issues the schools automatically close on the Eastern Shore?  When I was in my school days it was a rare occasion to have a snow day.  Closing early was almost non-existent.  We used to get our bathroom passes and go to the lunch room to check to see if they were cooking because"if they start lunch then there was no way we were getting out early..."  It basically had to be a blizzard in PA to close the schools.

Living on the Eastern Shore is like another planet.  When I first moved here I lived with a teacher for one of the elementary schools.  Almost weekly she got a 5 am call saying there was a two hour fog delay.  What?!  WTF is a fog delay?!  Apparently fog is enough to close down the school transportation around these parts!

This leads me to yesterday.  The news reports a winter storm warning.  So what does this mean around here?  It means we close school two hours early.  So instead of the last buses coming through the neighborhoods at 4:30 pm, they came through at 2:30 pm.  Can you guess what the weather was doing at 4:30 pm yesterday???  If you answered nothing then you are correct!  There was no snow or even much rain until the over night hours...schools cancelled last night for today...before the storm even came through!

Thank goodness for my daycare that never closes...even in blizzards!  Because there was no chance I could stay home today because there was no damn snow...and barely any ice outside of our house!  I got to work and everything was practically melted because of the sun and 35 degree temperatures! 

It looked like this outside my office...

This town is unreal!

And then the teachers and students complain about going to school until the end of June and go back in August.  It is because you are closing school for "fog" and "snow" that are not there! 

I will leave this post before I start getting into the adults driving and swarming Wal-Mart for milk, bread, and eggs...because they make me even more angry than the schools!!

March for Babies

As you can see on the right side I am marching for babies this year!  My family did it last year and we raised almost $1000!  It is a cause that is close to my heart and I have decided to do it again!  It is great because this year we can have a bigger team.  Last year D had to work and my mom was not sure if she could walk it with her foot issues, but this year they will both walk with us!  Our team last year had N and I, my BIL, SIL and FIL.  I am hoping to recruit my sisters family too this year!

So if you can, please donate to this wonderful cause!  Just click on the link and go to my donation page!

2010 March for Babies ( I am on the right)

Sippy cups...the road to big boy drinking

N has been slow with most things.  Besides being born early and quickly, he has been slow with everything else in life.  I won't say he is developmentally delayed...he just doesn't move with the average flow of most kids his age.  I am ok with this because he does catch up eventually to the point where most don't notice his delay.

He was slow to stop swaddling, rolling over, sitting up, crawling, standing and cruising, and is still working on walking.  But by far the slowest thing he has gotten the hang of is the sippy cup.  I was convinced this kid was going to carry a bottle to kindergarten!

If you open our kitchen cabinet and look to the top shelf you will see the graveyard of sippy cups.  12 total cups that we have tried and failed at using.  N has been able to hold his own bottle since 8 months...it was the one thing he did quickly...besides being born.  So I was convinced this meant he would take to the cup easily.  Boy was I wrong! 

If the cup did not have a Dr. Brown's nipple on it he would chuck it across the room.  Not only that, he would throw a screaming fit until the bottle was in his mouth and he could calm down!  This started around 8 months.  Every month after that I would get a new cup and keep trying.  Each time that cup lasted 15 seconds.

Finally at his one year appointment I got the "talk" from the pedi.  He said to get him off the bottle.  I said ok and we started trying again.  I ended up getting him the Nuby cup that starts with the nipple then changes to the sippy top.  In the end I had to cave to N and put a Dr. Brown's nipple in it to get him to use the thing.  I realized by doing this I am just copping out and being lazy. 

At Christmas I realized it was now or never to get him to switch.  His 15 month appointment was coming up and I needed to have him off that bottle for fear of getting yelled at!  So I went through my niece's collection of cups at my mom's house.  After going through a pile of them being thrown across the room in a fit I finally came to one cup.  It was the NUK EZ Cup.  I filled it up and as he laid there crying on my mom's shoulder I pushed it in his mouth and he miraculously stopped crying and started drinking!  And not just chew on the sippy and some milk comes out by accident drinking...actual sucking on the sippy drinking!  It was a miracle! 

I stole that cup and the next day picked up another at Wal-Mart, put away all of the other cups and bottles, and told D to only give him those cups.  From there I decided I wanted to branch out to a few other cups.  NUK also has a couple other cups with the same sippy top so I got the 12+ month cup that was bigger without handles.  And luckily he took to that easily as well!

So this is my review of the NUK EZ cups...I recommend them for the kids that are having issues transitioning.  In a month or so I will pull out the older cups with the hard spouts and see if I can transition to those.  Hopefully it will work now that he is on these cups.  But I noticed that N tends to get attached to his drinking objects once he is used to them!  So we will have to wait and see!