Week 2 Check-in

As of today, Emma is 2 weeks and 4 days old. We had her 2 week doctor's appointment yesterday. She is 9 lbs 11 ounces (1 lb and 1 ounce larger than her birth weight). This puts her in the 86th percentile. She is also 22.5" long which puts her in the 96th percentile.

We were on a great sleeping streak and then it came to a crashing hault the night of her 2 week birthday. My precious, quiet, content baby has turned slightly colicky. Through my research I have found that it starts around 2 weeks and lasts up to 3 months. No one is really sure why or how baby's become colicky, it just happens. For us, it starts somewhere from 730-9pm at night and lasts until about midnight or until she falls asleep. She doesn't want a bottle, doesn't want her nuk, and just plain unhappy where she exercises her intense lung capacity. Throughout the night she wakes up screaming as well and I feed her but she just seems like she is constantly hungry. I don't want to feed her over 4 ounces because she ends up throwing a bunch of it up. Call me a bad mom, but I have been giving her cereal as well. Each night, I make up cereal and spoon feed it to her (if I put it in her bottle it clogs the nipple, if I give her a fast nipple she drowns in it). She has been doing excellent with a spoon!! At first, this was the ticket..now it isn't doing much of anything. I have read several things and continue to do the 5 S's (Swaddle, Shh noises, Swinging motion, Side/Stomach, Sucking) but that doesn't usually help. So, needless to say this is a learning experience for us.

I'd like to end by saying: Happy (early) Birthday to the love of my life!!! Corey's birthday is tomorrow and if you know him, you know he loves presents. He has been counting down to his birthday for almost a month now so it has been a much anticipated day. He is also trying to talk me in to buying him a present on Veteran's Day because he is a Vet and deserves it and apparently can't wait until Christmas to receive more gifts...needless to say the jury is still out on this idea..and it isn't looking good :)

Sweet Child of Mine (..well...ours)

Emma is doing great. She is still only getting up 1-2x per night and eating well. She only seems to cry when she is getting changed or when she is hungry. Our little girl is well on her way to being a chunky monkey baby (being born with roles could have told me that). She eats plenty well!!

We got new internet yesterday so I have finally been able to upload pictures! I have them all on my facebook and you can access them by following this link (as long as it works): http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=241752&l=9d42a82186&id=596341159

We have her 2 week appointment next week and we don't really have any concerns. We are watching her tongue a bit since it is showing signs of Thrush. It is basically an infection of her mouth so far she only has 1 symptom (white tongue) and that could be from her formula.

Last post I mentioned that my stretch marks are itching like hell..well I went to the doctor and found out I have Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy (Pupps). It is a rash that starts in your stretch marks and then spreads from there. I have it on my inner legs and inner arms (which is very common). It itches extremely bad, in fact once I start scratching I have a hard time stopping, even after I put on cream. I got a oral prescription and a cream to put on it, I pray it goes away soon. While at the doctor, I found out that I have lost 20 lbs in a week! I am THRILLED but then again, look at me - I was huge...I SHOULD be losing that much weight. I think that was the "easy" 20 lbs and the next 20 will be my next challenge.

Last week-end we visited the grandparents and Emma's great grandma Mary Ann. This week-end is Corey's sister (Whitney) birthday and so the family will be coming here to celebrate her birthday as well as Corey's (which is Oct 29). Then of course Sunday is the day of the NFL. For those of you that do not know--last year we started Sunday Funday. This basically consists of us having a football party for every Vikings game; although I don't believe we are going to have Sunday Funday this week due to the late game. I am sure Corey will disagree with me since it is the GB Packers--so stay tuned--if on Sunday my Facebook status has anything that says "Sunday Funday" in it..then the "party" is on. It is usually the same 4-6 people but is always a good time. Last Sunday there happened to be more than the usual suspects :) If you decide to come, always RSVP the day before because I want to make sure there is enough food available. Here is a picture from last Sunday Funday:

The age of the babies range from 1 week (Emma) to 3 months in age and they are sitting with their proud daddies. In the top left we have Corey and Emma, then next to him is James and Avery Unger. The bottom left is Kyle and Kaden Schantzen (the only boy baby) and then Ryan and Jessica Studanski. We also had 2 pregnant women at the party. One is due in 2 weeks and the other January so this picture has the potential to grow! Emma is going to have some great friends to play with!

That is all that is new in our lives--keep posted!

6 Days Old

Hello again!

This week has been a busy one!

Monday- We left the hospital and came home for MNF. The first overnight went pretty well. She woke up 2x and then again at 6:30..which I can't count as "through the night." Tuesday she was up a bit more often, Wednesday was about 2x again and so forth. We are trying to find a rythm with her. When I was pregnant I would be up from 12-3 (and sometimes until 5) and she is on that schedule. She is wide awake around 12-1am and it doesnt' really matter what time we put her down. I am proud to say that she has slept in her crib since day 1. We have a video baby monitor and it is awesome! I really didn't like sleeping 'so far' away from her the first night but I knew the time had to come sometime and it was better to start right away. Corey and I sat and watched her on the baby monitor for a while before we fell asleep. It is just so neat, I can't imagine not having one now.

Wednesday was her first doctor's appointment. She is in the 75th percentile for height and weight. She was just 1 ounce from her birth weight. The doctor says they hope the baby is back to birth weight at their 2 week appt, it doesn't look like our little piggy will have to worry about that. She is a good eater!! After that, we went to Wal-mart - she did very well!

Thursday was a big day- we attempted newborn/family pictures. She got fussy but I hope that we got some good ones, if not we will try again for her 3 month pics.

Friday- we took our first out-of-town trip to see the grandparents. Her umbilical cord also fell off. I was really worried about it since everything I read says it takes 10-14 days to fall off, so I called the doctor and we are cleaning the area and watching it. So far she is doing great and I really like not having to worry about it!

All in all- Emma is doing great...mom and dad aren't doing so bad either. Corey has really taken to his 'daddy' role and is doing better than I had expected him to. We take turns feeding and getting up in the night..even though Corey doesn't like getting up he always makes a fuss if I don't wake him up when I get up with her. He says 'It's a family thing' and that if I am up he should be up. I thought that would only last a couple days..but it has almost been a week..pretty proud of him.

My complaint: my stretch marks itch like hell!!!!! I hate it!!!

Here is a pic that would actually download for me--it was taking too long so I stopped. I will have more up once we get our DSL internet on Wednesday. Right now we have wireless through Sprint and we have horrible reception here.

Emma's first picture (that is appropriate enough to share)

FAQ's

I thought I would compile some FAQ's and answers (based off what I get asked) for you all:

Q. What did you do leading up to her birth?
A. As you may (or may not) know I was seeking a variety of ways to induce my labor naturally and/or get myself to dilate. On Thursday, I got a massage. The Massage Therapist hit up my pressure points in my hands and feet. Friday, I got a pedicure and also had my doctor's appointment. She scraped my membranes, I began having cramps and contractions instantly and they lasted until I gave birth. I believe the massage and pedicure were great for a way to "treat myself" but don't think they had anything to do with my labor. I also purchased Castor Oil before we went to Famous Dave's on Saturday, but my water broke just hours later and therefore I never used it.

Q. How did you come up with "Emma Louise?"
A. Emma was my great grandma's name and Louise was Corey's grandma's name. About a year in to our relationship we found out that Emma and Louise grew up together in a very small town. They remained good friends throughout their lives, in fact when Emma went in to the nursing home she requested to be in Morris, close to Louise. They both have passed away now, but also passed away just a few months from one another. Not only is it a great story but it just seemed to fit.

Q. Did you get an epidural?
A. Yes, wouldn't do it any other way.

Q. How long were you in labor?
A. From the time my water broke to the time she was born was 14.5 hours. I had strong contractions the entire time so some could say I was in active labor for that long, I pushed for 3 full hours.

Q. How was your first night at home?
A. It was great, better than I expected. Emma woke up at 12:30 and was up until 2 am. Then I fed her and put her down about 2:30 and she slept until 6:45, which is "sleeping in" for Corey since he usually gets up at 4:45.

Emma Louise Eystad- 10/10/2010

Do you believe it--Emma Louise Eystad has graced us with her presence! It was a great week-end..here are the highlights and details :)



Friday-
Dr's appt went better than it has been in the past. I went in and she offered to schedule an induction for the following week. I offered Thursday (10/14) but she wanted Tuesday or Wed at the latest. I loved the idea. Then, she asked if I minded if she scraped my membranes. It was perfect since I was going to ask her to do it. Yes, it hurt but it was all very worth it.


I began having cramping and contractions instantly and they lasted through the night. Corey really wanted to go to the first night of the Fall Classic in Alexandria and I agreed that we should do something outside the house, even though I didn't feel too well. We left the race track and I was having contractions about every 5-6 minutes apart but I would have a couple and then they would go away and they were sparatic. Once we got home, I fell asleep for the night.

Saturday-
I woke up with some cramping but nothing major. Now that there was an induction date in mind I felt like I had a bunch of things to do, they are all minor and were not "needed." The only required thing was to go to the grocery store. Corey and I hung out at the house for a while and then decided to hit the road and run errands. I was having minor contractions and a lot of cramping.

We got to town and decided to drive through our old neighborhood, as we did that we saw our friend Siri had just gotten home so we decided to stop and say "hi" after our convo we decided to all go out to lunch to Famous Dave's. First, we stopped at Shopko to look for something and ended up picking up some munchy food. I also picked up Caster Oil, even though I didn't really want to do it I figured I would drink some that afternoon and hope to push things for her due date.

At Famous Dave's we had lunch and as I jumped off the tall bar stool I felt a gush of liquid..which I wrote off as urine. I ran to the bathroom and came back out announcing it was a good time to leave. We dropped Siri off and I begged Corey to go to Crafts Direct. I really wanted him to paint this thing for her room. I figured, we were right next door so we would stop there and then just spend the extra $$ and have our groceries delivered since I was no longer up for it and contractions had started again. As we left Crafts Direct, I had more liquid escape my body. I got in the car and called the first person I could think of that delivered recently and didn't get induced-Jennifer Unger. She told me she was thinking my water broke and it wasn't just 'random' which is what I kind of wrote it off as. My contractions began to get more regular between 4 and 6 minutes. Even though we were in town we decided to run home and get our packed bags...even though we had just discussed it that morning that we should leave it in the car. My contractions continued to stay regular and my pants...wetter. By the time we got to our house..which didn't take much time since I told Corey to "step on it" since my contractions were getting stronger..and the entire front of my pants were wet. We ran in the house, grabbed our things (and the puppie's overnight bag) and I changed. We headed back in to town and I called the hospital to let them know to expect us. We also called Siri back since she had planned to watch Odie. She met us at the hospital and got him.

Here are the highlights for the rest of the day:
3:37pm: Checked in to the hospital and got settled in to the Triage area. Water was still leaking. I changed in to a gown and was checked. Dilated to 3. Contractions were 4-5 min. apart and getting stronger.
5:30- received Epidural- yes it was early but I was dilated to 3.5 and they were getting stronger and longer. My nurse recommended that whenever I wanted it to get it.
8:00- received Petocin to continue my contractions.
9:00- we are used to be sleeping by this time..so with the epidural I was comfortable and we were resting. We watched the Twins and The Office episodes. Contractions were 3-5 min apart.
9:30- dilated to 5 with lots of pressure, also got a headache.
10:15- Emma's heartbeat went up and I had a fever & headache so they started me on oxygen.

Sunday
12am- dilated to 5.5
12:40am- dilated to 9--Corey took a walk and found 10 babies in the Nursery--Busy Saturday!
1:40 am- dilated to 10
2:00 am- started pushing
5:01am- delivery--Yes I pushed for 3 full hours during every contraction. Even with the epidural the pressure and "ring of fire" (not to mention my extreme exhaustion) was enough to make me scream, cry, and even swear.

Emma was 8 lbs 10 ounces and 21" long. I wonder how she fit in my belly! Once delivered they cleaned both of us up and about 6am we moved to a new room. We requested they take Emma to the nursery so we could try and get sleep before hosting visitors. We slept from 7-9 before we woke up and got ready for the day.

Sunday was a day full of visitors and the NFL (it just wouldn't be the same without it!).

We are debating about being discharged today (Monday) we will see how Emma and I are doing around 12pm and we will make the decision.

Even though delivery was way different (and parts worse) than I had imagined, everything happened just as I had prayed it would. My water broke on my own, we went in on our own, and she was born 10/10/2010. We couldn't be happier.

For all those of you worried about Corey- he was fantastic!!! He even watched the birth and cut the umbilical cord- he was a champ and is a very proud daddy :)

Antsy at 39 weeks!

Yes...still pregnant, still feel good, and still thinking baby girl is comfortable right where she is at!

I guess if I am still pregnant at 39 weeks I should be thankful that I am not in a lot of pain or discomfort, and I am very thankful for that! I am just antsy now...Antsy to:
- lay in a recliner and not have to "prop" by belly
- sleep in a flat bed
- sleep in the same bed as my husband
- see our baby
- share in the next stage of our lives
- begin shedding some pounds and working towards getting in my old clothes again
- actually use the baby room after preparing it for the past 5 months
- go to the bathroom like a normal person instead of 15x a day
- lose the "front bumper" and stop running in to things

You know, all of those simple things :)

I had my 39 week appointment last Friday. My doctor is definitely not gaining brownie points.
The good: I am almost dilated to 1. When she said that I told her "just stretch it to make it a 1" and she goes "I kind of am." Great!

The bad: I asked her when she would schedule an induction. She said that we were going to wait for this week's appointment (on Friday afternoon) and see where I am at. If I am still not dilating then she wants to wait another week.. (yes that means..wait until my 41 week appointment to schedule it). I told her I wasn't sure that I liked that but I also understand that by forcing my body to do something it isn't ready isn't going to be a walk in the park and may not be the best environment for the baby. So I guess I just have to "wait and see."

She also asked me if I had questions about labor, birth, or pain meds. I told her "no" because I don't. I am excited for birth and know it will hurt but there isn't much I can do at this point. Yet, I told her I did want to have pain meds. Her response was, "Well we will let you be in pain for a while, to make sure that you are in labor." I just said that was fine but what I wanted to say was, "Um, and you won't even be there until I am ready to deliver, so you probably won't have much say in the situation."

In conclusion, she has to come out in the next couple weeks whether she wants to or not. I should just try and focus on that :)

Other than that- Corey and I have not been up to much of anything. For the past couple Fridays we have went to Hutch and visited with his parents (for something to do). This past Saturday, we went to Ogilvie to watch racing. It was fun to be a spectator and not have to worry about getting the car ready, checking the line-up, or having to do all the running back and forth. We didn't make plans for next week-end either..since we hope(d) to have a baby..but who knows what will end up happening!