4 weeks today

Studying with her daddy :)

Hanging out in her swing

Smiling in her sleep

Little Miss Carly is 4 wks old today. She's starting to look bigger I'm sure but I don't really notice since I see her every day all day long and I love it. She's starting to hold her head up and starting to make those cute baby noises. I'm starting to learn all her different cries - like her "need for attention" cry, her "really mad" cry, her "you're not doing what i want" cry, etc. And every night around 7/8pm begins her fussy time where I here every cry she has. That time consists of me nursing her, bouncing her on the yoga ball, rocking, putting her in the swing, putting her in the moby wrap for a walk, etc. Just have to keep switching up what I'm doing because she gets bored... reminds me of.... me.... I guess it's ok because she's pretty much perfect all the rest of the time, falls asleep for naps during the day just fine and at night she just wakes up to eat and then goes right back to sleep. I'm pretty luck and very blessed.

I love my moby wrap - I use it pretty much every day. This last weekend Morgan & I walked to cheesecake factory & just put baby in the moby wrap. She stayed in there & slept the whole time at the restaurant too :) And Chocolate Raspberry Truffle cheesecake is my new favorite dessert. Yum!

She had her first pediatric appointment last week weighing 7 lb 8 oz & 21 in long. 25-50% for weight & 75% for height. woohoo! I'm thinking she'll be a swimmer.

I am feeling great and actually started working out last week - I've done portions of Jillian Michaels 30 day shred, lots of walks, and did my first swim workout last Saturday :) Hope to start running this week!

As you can see, she doesn't LOVE tummy time just yet. Today she actually tolerated it longer than normal, but you can see how she thinks she should be eating something when she's on her tummy as she searches toward the end. Surprised at how much she was moving her legs though - that baby is ready to crawl lol.

Firsts for Carly May

FIRST SPONGE BATH on her birthday.

FIRST FAMILY PHOTO.

FIRST BATH and she loved it! She couldn't help kicking her legs. She didn't even mind water on her head.

FIRST time in her carseat. This actually wasn't for a car ride just yet, but for a walk in the stroller in the neighborhood. There was a nice breeze & she liked it. This happened to be during a wakeful time for Carly, her eyes were open & she was busy looking around during this walk.

FIRST CAR RIDE and shopping trip. We went to Ross & it was too crowded for my liking

FIRST SUNDAY at church. She just slept in her carseat during Sacrament meeting... despite the toddler right in front of us that kept trying to climb over the bench... I think she thought she could step on the cover of the carseat... hmmm

FIRST TIME IN THE MOBY WRAP. Prep for the following day = Breaking Dawn part 1 & shopping.

Carly May

Carly May arrived on 11/9/11 at 3:03am weighing 6lb 2oz & 18 3/4 in long.

So Tuesday I finally got that burst of energy and I was cleaning like crazy. Disinfecting the kitchen, scrubbing floors (yes I was down on my hands & knees), cleaning the bathroom, etc. I cooked a delicious dinner, cleaned out the fridge, and did lots of dishes. I kept thinking I should take a nap, just in case. A couple of weeks ago my midwife told me that when I started nesting, take it easy & make sure to get rest. Oops. The truth is, obviously I didn't feel like it (and not like I would since I finally had a lot of energy lol).

I was in bed & doing some visualization - my midwife told me to take time every day to imagine what my birth experience would be like & keep everything positive. Not too long after my visualizing my birth, I got a contraction - not uncommon for me, but this one got a little stronger than normal. I felt a pop & a gush of fluid (10:40pm)! No way! I couldn't believe it! I yelled for Morgan & he got me a towel to make it to the bathroom. He couldn't believe my water had broken & said "Guess I'm not going to school tomorrow." Yeah, he was really disappointed :) Good thing we were super prepared & already had a shower curtain liner under our sheet just in case this sort of thing were to happen :)

I called my midwife & told her that my water broke and that I was going to try to get some sleep. She said try to sleep 4-5 hrs, but then she would be over to help get me into labor if needed since the water's broken & we're on a clock now, but to call if my contractions picked up. I called my mom & told her my water broke & she didn't believe me. She told me to stop joking around. After about a minute, she realized I wasn't joking & was screaming with excitement. After getting off the phone with her (around 11pm) I was trying to sleep & so was Morgan. I noticed the contractions felt a little more intense than usual so I started looking at my watch with each one. They were about 4-7 min apart and getting more intense & a lot more painful. Since I couldn't sleep anyway, I got up & called my midwife to give her an update (she didn't answer the first time 11:58pm, I figured she was sleeping so I waited a little & then called again at 12:19am). She said she would stop at the birth center to get a few things & then would be on her way over.

I was sitting on my birthing ball, but even that wasn't comfortable after a little while. I tried turning on the TV, kind of as a distraction, but couldn't even stand to have it on. I noticed the contractions were coming more frequently - every 3 minutes. And they HURT!! I felt better on my hands & knees and kneeling & leaning on my birthing ball. I kept asking Morgan if my midwife was here yet - I was feeling awful & really wanted her to check me & tell me where I was at. I was starting to feel more pressure & was unsure if I needed to go to the bathroom or if I was really that far along. I couldn't believe how uncomfortable I was - I decided to get back in bed since I was feeling so crummy. Just a couple minutes later my midwife arrived (about 2:00am). I updated her on the labor & she checked me. "wow, you are almost fully dilated & her head is right there. Morgan - start running the bath tub." Normally at these births there is a midwife & 2 other assistants (birthing assistants and/or midwife students), my midwife told me she wouldn't be able to get anyone else out here in time, so Morgan would be her helper :)

I got in the water and then started pushing around 2:30am. I'll be honest - I surprised myself with how much screaming went on. I really tried to breathe through as much of those contractions as I could to allow myself to stretch out and avoid tearing. Carly May arrived not too long after at 3:03am. She was put on my chest right away & had just a couple cries at the beginning - it actually made me nervous because I had to look to make sure she was still breathing. She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. Dark brown hair & little blue/gray eyes. I couldn't help but say "I did it." I couldn't believe this moment was finally here. 9 months of waiting & feeling crummy and I finally had my baby girl and it was all worth it, every second. I looked up at Morgan to see him smiling & looking at our new baby.

A little while after the placenta was out, Morgan cut the cord & then took baby while my midwife helped me get to my bed. Then I got my baby back while I got stitched up. Ouch. Thank goodness my husband is a dental student & has all the good stuff like topical anesthetic & lidocaine with epi (making it longer lasting & helping to control bleeding). Morgan was the perfect birth assistant! He was familiar with everything the midwife needed & was using and was able to assist perfectly.

Then I nursed baby for the first time & it went good. Baby got her newborn exam, but then she was getting cold so I got her back again :) After the midwife left, we tried to get some sleep. Morgan's never had trouble sleeping, but I was having a hard time. After feeding baby a couple more times, I was finally able to fall asleep for what I think was at least an hour or two. Baby slept for a long time too. My midwife came back to follow up on some paperwork & see how things were going. So far so good. Mom & baby are recovering well :)

I loved having a home birth. I loved that I didn't have to worry about packing everything up & loading it into the car. I loved that I could just be in a place I was comfortable to labor. I had everything I wanted & felt safe. I didn't have to worry about getting a nurse I wouldn't like or having to follow hospital policies or even having my baby taken from me for anything. I didn't have an IV or have to be hooked up to a fetal monitoring device or being confined to a bed for delivery. I especially loved that afterwards I could just get in my own bed. I didn't have to worry about getting in the car & driving home or even having to be in the hospital & potentially room with another mom & baby. I loved that I got to be in my bed with my husband & my new baby. It was perfect.

Today was the best day in a long time

Wow, today has been an amazing day! Morgan didn't have any patients scheduled, but did have an ortho appointment & some lab work to do, so I went to school with him so I could do a swim work out while he did those things. I've been wanting to go swimming for a while, especially knowing this is something my body can tolerate lol. I had a great swim work out & ended with 15 min of treading water. Just in case you were wondering, as a 9 month preggo - yes I can still do flipturns! Wooohoo! Wow, I realized that my abs haven't been used very much... in a long time. At least I'm pretty sure it was my abs :) Then I just read my breastfeeding book while waiting for Morgan to finish up. While waiting, a guy asked me if I could donate blood. Which really surprised me this time because I definitely look pregnant... ha ha

On the way home from school, Morgan was telling me about the lab work he did - he made some bleaching trays & a retainer. After some more talking about whatever, out of the corner of my eye I noticed Morgan looked a little different... I saw more white in his mouth than usual. I started staring & the next time he opened his mouth I noticed that he didn't have braces on!!! I have been smiling ever since & keep staring at him because I can't believe it! He could only laugh. He was hoping to make it all the way home before I noticed. And then he told me, well I told you I made a retainer & whitening trays - for himself. How funny!

Today was the best day in a long time. And I still can't stop staring & smiling about Morgan's beautiful teeth :)

38 wks

Wow so I definitely didn't think I'd make it this far. I was convinced as soon as I hit 37 wks the baby would come. She has a mind of her own & her own plan I guess. Well, I've been doing things to encourage baby to come, but she won't give in. Now I really have no idea when she will make her debut. My contractions will still pick up to being 4-6 min apart for even a couple of hours at a time, sometimes even lasting that way through the night & will wake me up because of the cramping. But beyond that, no progression to more of an active labor phase... Can you tell I'm impatient? I've never been very good at waiting. I'm noticing all the fun uncomfortable things that happens at the end of pregnancy. Like this relaxin that my body secretes to loosen my joints & make it easier for baby to be born - it actually makes it hurt to walk & makes my hips & pelvis feel really off. Like unless I'm laying down my back really hurts a lot. Like because baby's head is at zero station, I waddle when I walk & always feel that pressure when I'm standing or walking. Like everytime I get a contraction, I feel like I need to go to the bathroom, even if I just went. Like to get out of bed, or get off the couch, I have to do this sideways roll thing or have Morgan help me get up. Like if I want to wear socks or put shoes on (instead of just flip flops) I have to be a little more creative because it's really hard to reach my feet. Like shaving my legs is a little more difficult than it should be. Like sitting in my low beach chair is really awkward, especially when I need to get up. Like laying on my side to sleep has been getting uncomfortable because it's starting to hurt my hips. And finally, these contractions are more bearable when I'm lying down, if I'm sitting up/standing/walking they hurt quite a bit to where I almost want to stop walking.

This week Morgan's best friend Evan came to visit. He's here for a rotation for medical school & stopped by. It's been 3 1/2 yrs since they've seen each other! Here are some candid pics of them checking out his car before he took off :)

Pembroke Pines Baby Shower

My pembroke pines young women threw me a baby shower! It was so fun! They decorated the room super cute & had some great food. The games were fun & there was even a pinata at the end = perfect! They made some great burp cloths & the most adorable baby blanket with their names signed on the back corner :) That was the most special gift - made with lots of love. Oh how I miss them!

2 1/2 wks to go

i am getting so bored!!! i have been crocheting, but can only take so much of that before my fingers start cramping & then i need a break. i am completely caught up on all of the general conference i missed between work & childbirth classes. we had 2 childbirth education classes at the birth center. i really liked it - i felt like it touched on a little bit of everything. they gave us ice cubes to hold in our hands & practice breathing techniques. then just the women held the ice cubes & our partners tried different ways to comfort us. well i definitely started to realize things i like & don't like when i'm extremely uncomfortable lol so it was some good practice. they gave us a picture of a pregnant woman/side profile/anatomy type pic with lines. it was like a pop quiz. morgan & i did the best...of course. in fact, morgan started sounding like the teacher when he pointed out that one arrow didn't just point to the pelvis, in fact it was the pubis symphysis - a ligament that holds the pelvis together & relaxes as the hormone relaxin (secreted in pregnancy) is released in preparation for childbirth. it was pretty funny he taught the childbirth instructor quite a few things in fact. my most favorite part of the childbirth class was day 2 - the instructor had all the partners/spouses sit on the floor with a baby doll & a blanket. they learned how to swaddle the baby. i was laughing so hard i was crying. morgan thought he knew what he was doing - he knows how to make burritos.... he kept covering the baby's face with the blanket & didn't realize it. i couldn't stop laughing. we might need to do some practicing before this baby comes...

i had another appointment at the birth center this week. they didn't check me again - they don't want to do anything to stimulate labor, so i don't think they'll check me again until my appointment in another 1 1/2 wks, unless something significant happens. well honestly, at the beginning of being on bedrest (days 2 & 3) i didn't even really notice any contractions. yeah of course i was still getting braxton hicks, but those are no big deal. since then, i still will have at least a couple hours a day of getting 2 min long contractions 7-10 apart, occasionally 4-6 min but not consistently. i've called my midwife a couple of times, but really when you keep hearing the same advice over & over (and you're already doing those things) it gets kinda old. so i'm just chilling & am only going to worry if i get down to 5 min apart.

i had an ultrasound this week. i guess everything looked good - haven't heard anything from my midwife so i guess it's pretty unremarkable. which is good. my last ultrasound they noticed some placental separation - and honestly i was kind of worried that was the reason for all the contractions & preterm labor. so i feel better now that we've had another ultrasound. they estimated her weight to be 5 lb 1 oz. she's getting pretty crammed in there!! but i need her to keep growing & getting that cute baby fat.

so i guess while on bed rest this is a great opportunity to put on the pounds. now i feel like the definition of a couch potato. but since i'm probably burning less calories than anything else i would be doing, maybe i'll actually start gaining some weight now that i'm at the end of my pregnancy & start looking like how far along i actually am.

bedrest...

Over the past few months I have had lots of braxton hicks contractions - these have picked up in frequency over the past few weeks. Especially on my days on at the hospital I would get contractions every 4 or 5 minutes, when I started feeling back pain & they would get really uncomfortable I started to get worried. However, after having midwifes tell me to go home, lay down, drink lots of water, etc. I was beginning to think that was all they would tell me to do. So I just kind of did those things on my own for a while, because the frequency of contractions were still there - I probably should have been calling almost every day though (since you should call if you get more than 4 contractions in an hour). This past weekend I called again because it was happening on Sunday & I hadn't done much that day besides go to church. I was told similar things once again - which I was already doing.

The next day (Monday) I went to work to see how it would go. The morning started off ok - I wasn't noticing too many contractions, but a couple hours into the shift I started feeling pressure - everytime I stood up or walked around (which is a lot as a nurse lol). The contractions started picking up & I thought I should probably go home & call my midwife. So I did. My midwife had me come in the following day so she could check me.

Tuesday I went into the birth center to discover that I am 1 1/2 cm dilated, 90% effaced, and baby's head is at station 0. Yikes. So this little baby's plan has been discovered - she has been trying to come early. Naughty naughty. So I am on bedrest now. Today has been good & I've stayed down all day & haven't really noticed too many contractions. Another appointment & an ultrasound tomorrow - we'll see how everything's going!

Baby Shower

Was this one really a baby gift? Seems to fit me better... maybe I'll have to try it out :)

This was my favorite game - everybody got a piece of chewing gum to mold into a baby. I was really impressed with a lot of the babies - some had pacifiers in their mouths, bows in their hair, bibs, etc. My favorite was actually a ninja baby made by my friend Jessica - she had a ninja headband on & a ninja sword :)

Ok so this game may look disgusting but it's actually pretty fun - candy bars melted in diapers & you guess which candy bar it is....

In August, my good friend Bethany threw me a baby shower. It was perfect! Great food & great friends! Thanks to everyone who came - it was so fun!!

Graduation

The baby bump is still there - just hiding!

This post is way past due but I just got the pics from my mom (lol my mom made my brother send all the pics to me actually :D thanks Sam!). So I finished nursing school in April & of course Nova didn't have us walk until August. So here I am finally walking. Yes, I had to request work off so I could graduate :)