Hello Everyone!!!

Gosh I can't believe it's been almost 2 months since the last time I blogged. WOW!I really need to update my blog more often.

Things here are going great. I can't believe Johnny will be 10 weeks on Friday. I can't believe how fast time flies when you have a baby. My days are so occupied with him. I'm still at home on maternity leave and loving every minute of it. I never thought I would love to be a mom as much as I do. It's the best thing in the world.

Johnny has grown a lot. At his 1 month appointment, which he was only 3 weeks, he weighed 8lbs 8 oz. The pedi was very excited with those numbers. He just had his 2 month appointment and he weighs 12lb .5oz and is 23" long. I have to say he eats like a champ. He eats 6 oz of milk every 3 hours and at night before he goes to bed he eats a full 8 oz bottle. We don't have a schedule, he eats when he wants but it's always 3 hours. He basically sleeps and eats all day, just like a newborn. He will be awake for maybe 30 minutes after his bottle but than he will fall asleep and sleep until his next feeding.

He has totally out grown his 0-3 months clothes so he is now wearing 3-6 months. I have to say, it was pretty sad putting away all of his newborn and 0-3 months clothes. It's definitely a good sign that he's a growing boy.

He got his shots and I have to say he did pretty good. He was sleeping (of course) when the nurse came in and as soon as she stuck the needle in his thigh he started to cry and scream. My heart ached when I saw that, that I started to get tears in my eyes and basically I started to cry. I'm horrible when it comes to crying. After the shots, Johnny fell right back to sleep until his next feeding. At night he was a little cranky and was crying quite a bit. You can definitely tell he was in pain. John and I just tried to soothe him as much as we could. The next day he was back to normal.

He's finally starting to smile and it melts my heart. It's the cutest smile ever!
I can't want until he starts to laugh and giggle. It's so adorable.

Well I'll leave you with a few pictures of him!!!

Birth Story

Thursday, August 27
My induction begin on Thursday night, August 27. John and I checked into L&D at 8:00 pm that night. We were put into a room and checked in. The nurses started hooking me up to the NST monitor and to an IV and asked me a bunch of questions. At about 9:00 pm the OB on called came to see me. She did an internal and of course no progression on my part. My cervix was completely closed. She gave me a medicine that hopefully would get my cervix to begin dilating and make progression. The medicine was like a tampon that was placed on my cervix. That night I could barely sleep. Every 20 minutes nurses kept coming in to read the NST and my blood pressure was being taken every 20 minutes automatically. Every time I moved from side to side, the NST would lose the heartbeat and they had to come in to adjust it. So it was definitely a long night.

Friday, August 28.
At about 6:00 am one of the nurses took out my medicine because my OB would be in around 7ish to examine me.

At about 7:30 am my OB arrived and did an internal on me. At that point I was 1-1.5 cm dilated. I thought to myself, wow it's going to be a long day. I couldn't start on pitocin right away because I tested positive for the GBS so I had to be given penicillin first before the pitocin so the nurse started me on a bag of penicillin.

At about 9:00 am when I was done with the penicillin she started the pitocin on me. Every 30 minutes the pitocin dosage was gradually increasing but my pain was not. The nurses kept coming in to ask me my level of pain and I had no pain at all although I could feel the contractions coming.

At noon, my OB came back in to check me and I was still at 1-1.5 cm dilated. At that point he thought maybe he would break my water, but than he decided to give me another bag of penicillin. Again the contractions were coming but I was in no pain at all.

At about 1:30 pm the nurse asked me how I was feeling and I told her I was in no pain. They kept telling me, this is not good. So she increased the pitocin so that hopefully things would start progressing. Well that definitely helped because at 3:30 pm my water broke and I was put into a delivery room. That was when the contractions started coming on quick and strong.

At 4:30 pm the nurse examined me and I was 4 cm dilated. An hour later, I was checked again and I was 6 cm dilated but I could no longer take the pain of the contractions. I was getting a break between them but when they came they were strong. I had 4 cm left to go and from what I had read the last 3 cm are the most painful ones. The pain was getting stronger with each contraction that it was bring tears to my eyes. I wanted to try to go as long as I could without the epidural but at this point I was starting to think twice.

At 6:00 pm I asked the nurse that I wanted an epidural and about 30 minutes later the anesthesiologist arrived to give me the epidural. I knew that my progression could slow down but I wouldn't be in pain. And once the epidural started working I was in heaven. I could still feel the contractions coming but I had no pain which was nice.

At 7:30 pm my OB came in to check me again and at that point I was only 6 cm dilated. That's when I realized the epidural had definitely slowed down my progression. My OB told the nurse to increase the pitocin so that I could keep on progressing. John's mom and step-dad arrived shortly after and they hung out with us for awhile. At that point, I kept feeling a lot of pressure everytime a contraction was coming although it wasn't painful.

At about 9:10 pm the nurse said that my OB wanted her to examine me again to see where I was. At that time, I was 10 cm dilated and she said, I'm surprised this baby hasn't come out yet. She said your OB wants you to start pushing. John and I were in shock that in just a few hours I was fully dilated and ready to push. His parents went outside in the waiting room, John called my family to let them know I was going to start to push, and the nurse was getting the room ready. My OB arrived and around 9:20 pm I started pushing. I pushed for about 15-20 minutes and at 9:39 pm my little boy was born; 6 lbs 8 oz and 21.5" long. John cut the umbilical cord and shortly after he was placed on me. It was amazing when I saw him for the first time. I felt like my miracle baby was finally in my arms.

About 30 minutes later my family and John's family arrived to see Little Johnny and they hung out with us for awhile.

Because I delivered after 9 pm on Friday night, I had the option to stay an additional day at the hospital which I did. I was released on Monday, August 31.

It's now been 2 weeks since he's been born and things are going really well. I tried breastfeeding but had no luck with that, so I pump and bottle feed him. He's still getting my breast milk which I'm happy with. The nights are not bad at all. I thought they would be much worse. He gets up once or twice in the middle of the night and that's it. I still get a pretty good night sleep. John has been home with me since he was born so Monday will be our first day alone. The days go by really quick now because I'm always doing something, between feeding him, pumping, and doing laundry. But everyday John and I thank God for such a beautiful baby.

And here are a few pictures of him.

His going home outfit from the hospital


Sleeping on Daddy's chest


A few hours after he was born


Sleeping on Daddy's chest again


The new family of 3

Baby D has arrived!!!

John Patrick D III, was born last night, August 28 at 9:39 pm. He weighed 6 lbs 8 oz and is 21.5" long. He officially shares his birthday with his mommy. He was born yesterday on my 31st Birthday! Both him and I are doing good. I'll post some pictures and my birth story once we go home.

Induction has been scheduled!!!

Lately I feel like I've been riding on a roller coaster that just won't stop. Between all the NSTs that my little guy has failed, the high bp, the L&D trips, and all the b/w, I'm glad to say this is all coming to an end.

My OB last week had told me no more NSTs because the little guy has been failing every single one of them. So instead, I was going in for BPP u/s. Well this morning my little guy decides not to cooperate at the u/s and fails the u/s. This kid is not out yet and he's all ready driving me nuts. He was such in a deep sleep that he was not moving nor was he practicing his breathing. I must of been on the u/s machine for 40 minutes and nothing. Eventually he did move, a little, but at least enough to record. His breathing, he did not do and totally failed that part. The u/s tech called up my OB and guess what? He sends me for a NST at the hospital. Are you kidding me? After all the times he's failed that. So I drive to the hospital and go see the nurse. She was all ready waiting for me because my OB had called her to tell her I was on my way. I get on the machine and guess what? Not only did he pass the NST with flying colors, the nurse said that was one of the best NSTs she's ever seen. Do I understand this little boy? So after that I went to go see my OB.

He did another internal and no progress at all. He has no intentions of coming out anytime soon. My OB told me if he had failed the NST as well this morning, that he was going to send me to L&D to be induced today. So the plan is as following; repeat the BPP u/s tomorrow morning. If he fails that, I will be induced tomorrow. If he passes the u/s, I will be induced Friday (August 28 which is my birthday). Thursday night between 6:30 - 7:00 I will have to check myself in in L&D and Friday morning the induction will begin. Looks like my little boy will share his birthday with his mommy. Because my cervix has not made any progress I need to go in the night before so the nurses can start giving me medicine to see if things can progress. My OB said that with everything that has been happening lately and with my history of MTHFR, he doesn't want to wait any longer.

So before this weekend I will meet my little boy!!! I really need to start packing and make sure I have everything ready for the big arrival. I'll keep you all posted on how everything goes tomorrow and the rest of the week.

Single Digits!!!

We are in single digits now. 9 days left to go until my due date! I can't believe how close we are getting to meet our little boy.

I have a BPP u/s this morning and than I'm off to my OB for an appt.

Weeks 37 & 38

FULL TERM BABY!!! I can't not believe I am only 2 weeks away from my due date!!! WOW!! I know that any day now could be the day that I will finally meet my Baby D. Baby D is the size of a watermelon and I've been eating a ton of it lately.



Baby
Week 37 - Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

Week 38 - Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)


Updates
NST - Last week my OB decided that he wanted me to go twice a week for NSTs now. Well that hasn't worked out too good because he's failed every single one of them except one. And that one that he didn't fail, the nurse kept pressing down on my belly and poking him around for him to move. It has been stressing me out quite a bit these NSTs, the fact that he's not passing them. I swear it's like he knows we are going for NSTs and he purposely won't move and just fall asleep. Just this week alone I've been sent for an AF u/s and a BPP u/s and he passes those with flying colors. So today after another failed NST my OB decided that he no longer wants me to have them done. Thank God! No more worrying about those so I just have a BPP u/s scheduled for next week and that's it.

Blood Pressure - Has been quite high lately that it's ended me in the L&D again. This week alone I have been to L&D twice, once for a failed NST, and the second for high bp. The nurses there are starting to know me. Today, Thank God it was normal. Whenever it's high my OB checks to see if it's pre-eclampsia and thank God it has not been that. I'm sure this warm weather has not been helping me at all. So needless to say my week has been pretty busy at the hospital. My had my appt with him on Tuesday and today I had another appt with him.

Internals - I have had 3 including todays and I have made NO progress what so ever. I have been getting more BH but I guess they are not strong enough to make any progress. We will see how I'm doing next week.

I all ready washed all of his clothes and have put them away in the drawers. I also installed the car seat base in my car this afternoon. I just have to get it check to see if it's installed correctly. This weekend I'm going to start packing my hospital bag. It's crazy to think that I'm due in 14 days. I have 3 weeks at most to meet Baby D because my OB said they let you go up to 41 weeks before they induce labor. I'm hoping he arrives sometime on or before his due date. I have a feeling he will be born right around his due date. It's a feeling I've had for awhile now and let's see if my intuition is right.

Weekly Survey
How far along? 38 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Gained 42 lbs (I'm hoping I don't get to the 50 lb mark)

How much does baby weigh: I'm thinking about 7 lbs now

Maternity clothes? Yes

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: Lately I have been getting up once to use the bathroom, but overall pretty good

Best moment this week: Knowing that after 2 failed NSTs he's doing good

Movement: Not as much as before because I'm sure he's running out of space

Food cravings: Watermelon

Gender: boy

Labor Signs: BH and NO progress

Belly Button in or out? In and I don't think it will pop out

What I miss: Being able to do things without my big belly being in the way

What I am looking forward to: Meeting my little boy!

Weekly Wisdom: Enjoy every moment of your pregnancy because it goes by so fast

Milestones: FULL TERM!!!

Week 36

I can't believe I've entered my 9th and last month of pregnancy.
36 weeks and 4 weeks left to go!

Baby
Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

Childbirth Class - So we had our class last Saturday and it was pretty good but long. We decided to go to the all day class instead of once a week for 5 weeks. They talked a little about everything, car seat, labor, complications, excersizing, breathing, etc. We also got a tour of L&D which was nice. So know we are all done with that.

Vacation - Was a lot of fun. We spent 3 days with John's family in CT and all we did was relax at the beach. All of his sibiling and step-sibilings joined us, so all together there were 14 of us. I did enjoy going to the beach and just relaxing. It definitely did help my swollen feet because they look so much better. The rest of the week John and I just took it easy at home. We did go another day to the beach and on Saturday he golfed 18 holes. I did go on the golf course with him, but I sat in the cart and watched him play.

Ultrasound & OB visit - So I had my appointments on Wednesday and I was so happy that John came with me. It was so cool to see Baby D again on the screen. He's head down and his head is really low now. I knew it must of been because I have been feeling some pressure in my pelvis lately. He now weighs 5 lbs 14oz although it could be off by 1 lb in each direction. I still think he will weigh in the low 7lb range, but who knows. We got 2 3D pictures of him and 2 2D of him. I'll have to load them up so you can see him. Than we went to go see my OB. When the nurse called me in to check my blood pressure and weight my blood pressure was pretty high. Lately it had been a little high but nothing like that day. I was put into a room and my OB came in really quick, did the Group B Strep test and an internal. As for the internal, no progress at all, cervix is completely shut tight. He than had me go into his office and was on the phone with L&D. He was very concerned about my blood pressure being that high because he though it could be a sign of pre-eclampsia.

After he told John and I what I was going to have done at L&D we made our way over there. I had a urine test, b/w, my bp was being taken every 15 minutes, and put on the NST machine for 2 hours. My bp came down right away and everything else came back normal. If there were any signs of pre-eclampsia he was going to wait until today and than possibly induce me this week. I'm dying to meet my little baby, but I don't want him to come this early. So after 2 hours I was sent home and was told to take it easy from now until the end.

So that's what I've been doing, relaxing and just taking it easy. I've been napping in the afternoons and just trying to not do anything at all.

I had a follow up visit with him this morning and although the bp was still a little high, he wasn't very concerned with it today. He did test me again for pre-eclampsia so hopefully I'll get the results next week when I see him. My GBS results were not even either so I still don't know if it's positive or negative. He did another internal and no progress again. He did feel the baby's head though so I know he's pretty low. He said that with a first pregnancy he didn't expect to see any progress at 36 weeks. So I see him again next week. From here until the end I now go for NSTs twice a week.

I've been getting a few cramps here and there. I think my uterus is preparing for the big day. They feel like very mild menstrual cramps. I mention the cramps to him and he said it's very normal to feel them now.

I'll have to post my 36 week belly shots later.


Weekly Survey

How far along? 36w4d

Total weight gain/loss: Gained 38 lbs

How much does baby weigh: 5 lbs 14 oz

Maternity clothes? Yes

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: I toss and turn a lot but overall sleep is still good

Best moment this week: Seeing Baby D on the ultrasound machine

Movement: Oh yeah. Sometimes he's so active it looks like he's having a party

Food cravings: Fruit

Gender: boy

Labor Signs: Cramps and BH

Belly Button in or out? In and I don't think it will pop out

What I miss: A nice cold beer on a hot summer day

What I am looking forward to: Cooler weather

Weekly Wisdom: Enjoy every moment of your pregnancy because it goes by so fast

Milestones: Entering my 9th and last month of pregnancy