Day 10

First off, let me apologize for not updating the blog in so long! Having a new born really keeps you busy and exhausted :) Below is the birth story of Ronan who decided to come a bit early:

We were supposed to have a C-section on the 14th. Well, Miles woke me up on Wednesday the 9th because he saw blood in the toilet from the last time I peed. I went to the bathroom again and there was more blood. The night before I woke up several times with contractions, but figured they were just Braxton Hicks, which are kind of like practice contractions. So, we figured it was my bloody show and knew we could go into labor in a few weeks or in an hour. Miles went to work and I was planning on picking him up in a couple hours for our Dr's appt. I decided to take a bath before getting ready. I also made sure my labor bag was ready to go just in case.

I sat in the bath for about a half hour and noticed intermittent larger amounts of blood loss, so I got out. After that, my water broke. At first I thought that it could be some bath water that made it's way up there, but after soaking through a handful of pads I called Miles and told him to come home. From there we headed into the hospital.

I was having contractions about 7 minutes apart at this point, all in my back. The nurse checked me and said I definitely ruptured my waters. Luckily I was only dilated to almost 1 since any more than that would have been an emergency C-sec. My Dr wasn't on call but the Dr who was was really nice. They got me all prepped for surgery and 2 hours after we arrived I was going into the OR.

I thought it would be painless and all I would feel is some pressure. For me, this wasn't the case. I was really numb on my left side, but not on my right. I didn't feel any cutting pain, but I couldn't wait for it to be done. Miles watched the whole thing and took about 300 pics. I was impressed that Miles didn't get whoozy after seeing some of the pics!

Ronan was frank breech and came out butt first. He was screaming really hard by the time they got him over to the table and suctioned out all the fluid. Oh, and when they got his body out of my tummy, he had a firm grasp on his umbilical chord. I started crying when he was crying. Miles brought him over to me so I could get a good look before he brought him to the nursery.

I had to stay for 2 hours in the recovery room before being reunited with my son. That was a bit hard. We stayed 3 nights in the hospital. Night 2 I got zero sleep and it was a hard night for Ronan.

Since we've been home everyone is much more comfortable. Ronan is such a sweet baby with an amazing temperament. On average I've been getting about 6 hours of sleep a night which is great. I nap during the day with the baby when I need to. He's nursing like a champ.

His Dr visits have been going great and he is starting to put on weight. He got his circumcision on day 2 and the ring has since fallen off and all looks great. He poops an insane amount, but I hear this is very common for breast fed babies.

Miles is an amazing daddy. He gets up with me and baby at night, will change him and feed him a bottle that I pumped earlier in the day. In the last couple of nights, Ronan has not wanted to sleep in his bassinet which is a bit hard. He has been co sleeping with us the last 2 nights, but at least we are able to get some sleep. There have been a couple nights where Ronan and I are awake in the living room from 2 to 6 in the morning watching horrible movies. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that those will become a thing of the past in the future :)

We are pretty exhausted but it's truly amazing to be parents and we are so in love.

Getting ready to go to the Operating Room

Miles is all scrubbed and ready!

Feeling a bit nervous

Ronan holding on to his chord.

Daddy cutting the chord

Meeting my son for the first time

Meeting Nane and Pape

Our son loves baths!

In the nursery

Finally reunited

Home at last

Getting ready for our first outing

Decorating the tree

I think Ronan may think his dad's face is a camera lens

Floor time

Yes I do!

38 Weeks...

Week 38

One more week. Seems so close, yet to Elody, at this point, I'm sure it feels like an eternity. The little booger has been applying quite a bit of unwelcome pressure to the upper left side of her rib-cage, close to her lungs which is inhibiting her breathing.

We have heard from the Dr that the C-section will begin promptly at 7:30 am on the 14th. We need to be at the hospital at 6 sharp. The operation should only last about 45 minutes. I will be allowed to scrub in and be present during the surgery. How long we stay at the hospital afterward will be entirely up to Elody. As soon as she feels comfortable enough with everything we will check-out. This could be as soon as 48 hours.

We go in for our last scheduled check-up on Wednesday. Counting down the days.

-Miles


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.)

Week 37

Well, we are now considered full term!!! That means that the babies lungs as well as everything else is now fully developed and he is safe to be born at any time :)

Our Dr's appt went as expected on Tuesday. Our little boy is being stubborn and still in a frank breech position. My placenta lobe is still too close to my cervix at 2.5 cm. So, we are currently scheduled for a C-Section on Dec. 14th. Unless the baby and my placenta miraculously move by then, we will be welcoming Ronan into the world at 39 weeks 1 day. Miles and I have accepted the fact that we will not be having the all natural vaginal delivery we hoped for, but we are trying to acknowledge the positives of a C-Section :)

This weekend my fabulous friends Rose and KK put on an amazing shower for us! It was sooo much fun and we truly realized how lucky we are to have such an amazing group of friends :) We are officially stocked up on all the baby needs we need, and then some! Our house is starting to look like baby central with all of the cool gear Miles has put together for baby.

We also took advantage of the super warm weather we had here to put up Christmas lights. I think this is the first time we didn't do it in freezing weather :)

Below is a pic of the beautiful Rose and KK that put the shower on :)


How your baby's growing:
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 36

Four more weeks to go! We're both getting really excited for the arrival of the baby and I am excited to have my body be a bit more comfortable :) Not much to add this week. On Tuesday we have a growth ultrasound to get measurements on the baby, see if he is still breech (which I am pretty sure he still is), and see if my placenta has moved up.

We did our pre registration at the hospital so when we go in for labor or a C-section, all the paperwork has already been filled out and submitted.

I'm adding a pic that Miles took of me in the bath last weekend when we were 35 weeks.

How your baby's growing:

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.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

Week 35

So we had an appt with the Dr this week and our stubborn little boy is still breech :( We will have an ultrasound again at 36 weeks to see if he's finally turned. If not, we will have to discuss C-section dates. Of course, if he moves to a head down position by the time we are scheduled for surgery, we won't go through with the Csec. I will also most likely try some acupuncture and a chiropractor to get baby to spin.

We also interviewed 2 different pediatricians this week. One was so so, but the other one we liked a lot. I would still like to try to find at least one other office to visit, but the one Dr we liked is here in Monument which is really convenient.

My discomfort level keeps progressing. Sleeping comfortably is a thing of the past. I have had different numbing issues in my hips and legs. This has proven interesting when I am walking outside and all of a sudden my leg gives out :)

I knitted a couple of hats and some booties for baby. I have a few pics below for you all to marvel at...lol!

How your baby's growing:

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Week 34

Not a whole lot to post about this week. I have been doing some inversion exercises that I read about on spinningbabies.com in hopes of getting Ronan to move head down. I've also been trying to fight off a cold and have been dealing with more headaches lately. A restful sleep is something of the past as well, but I suppose my body is getting me used to this for when the baby comes :)

Our next Dr's appt will be on Tuesday. We also started out breast feeding class this week. It was really good and insightful. I feel like being armed with all this knowledge is giving us more of a chance to have sucess with breast feeding. We have one more class to go and then we are done.

Oh, and a big Happy Birthday to Grandpa Daryl!!!

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

Week 33

So we had our bi weekly Dr's appt on Tuesday. We had a bit of frustrating news as we found out that the baby is still breech. At our prior appt, our Dr was pretty confident that he had turned head down, but an Ultrasound showed that he is still being stubborn. She estimated his weight at 4 lbs 8 oz, which is ahead by about a week. She also said he had nice long legs, so it looks like he will be tall like his parents :) My placenta lobe is still too close to the cervix to have a vaginal delivery. We are getting another ultrasound done at 36 weeks to see if it has moved up or if the baby has finally turned. If neither has occured, or only one has happened, we will have to set a date to get a C-Section. I am really hoping that everything progresses in a way that allows us to do a natural vaginal delivery, so everyone send positive thoughts our way!

My mom and I went to see Wicked today in Denver with a group of friends. It was a lot of fun, but sitting in not so comfortable theatre seats for that long did a number on my back. I've been having a bit more trouble sleeping lately as well. I wake up about every 40 minutes to flip on my other side. I have a lot of hip numbing and shooting pain down my thighs and pelvic area. I know it will only get worse so I'm trying to get used to it.

On an awesome note, our friends in Boston got us an amazing baby gift! Miles put the baby swing together today...Thanks Mike and Katherine :) Miles also found a really cool night light to go in the nursery! Oh, and I finally finished my blanket and I'm pretty proud of the job I did. I have also learned how to knit some hats and cute little booties. Perhaps I will post some pics when I'm all done :)

How your baby's growing:

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

Week 32

A lot was going on this week. We had our first of two baby showers yesterday. My mom hosted a high tea at her house and we had a lot of family friends that attended. It was great! We had delicious finger sandwiches, delectable deserts like scones and of course some herbal tea. Baby received lots of great gifts which we organized in his room today. My parents bought us a fantastic stroller system, and Miles was delighted to see that Papy already put it together. My mom painted a cute mirror and decorated it with a fun monkey theme, she also painted a little bench/toy chest the same blue as the wall and added white dandelions and Ronan's name. Lastly, she hand knit some adorable outfits :) Below are a couple pics of the furniture my mom did.




Tuesday we have our Dr's appt and hopefully baby is still head down. We also finished out birthing classes and both felt like we learned a lot. We have a week off, and then 2 weeks of breast feeding classes.

How your baby's growing:

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

Week 31

Went to the Dr for my 2 week appt this week and all looks good. She thinks the baby has rotated to a head down position!!! That was very exciting news to hear to say the least :) My uterus is measuring right on schedule.

We also received some fabulous baby gifts from Grandma Mac, Grandma and Grandpa Swarner, and Shelley and Daryl :) We also went shopping for the nursery and found a super comfy glider that doesn't look horrendous, and a nice little dresser...all on clearance I might add! Now all we need are some funky wall shelfs and some art, and I do believe the nursery will be complete! We also went to Sams Club and bought our first box of diapers and wipes in bulk :)

We had our third birthing class this week. We practiced different birting positions and breathing. We also learned about different drugs that we can use during labor. I am still hoping to go all natural, but am open to an epidural if the pain becomes too much.

I have a friend that just gave birth to her baby boy this week after 30 hours of labor! I am really hoping we don't go that long.

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

Week 30

10 weeks left! As I'm getting more and more uncomfortable, I'm getting more and more excited to deliver! My body has been protesting a bit :) I'm getting Braxton Hicks more often now, it's hard to be on my feet for too long at a time, my lungs feel pretty small and my ribs and lower back have been hurting off and on. I'm still carrying really low. It's funny how different my belly looks depending on the position of the baby. Sometimes I look relatively small, other times I'm huge.

We took our second pregnancy class this week. We had to watch a birthing video and it kind of freaked Miles and I out a bit :) I also got a full body massage from Miles during class, and we worked on different breathing techniques and imaging.

We went to Gymboree yesterday to use up our Gymboree bucks. Miles picked out babies first winter coat that is super cute and will last for a couple years. We also got a couple hats. Rebecca gave us a cute pair of blue moccasins. The blanket I am knitting is coming along. I am hoping to have it finished in the next couple weeks.


Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)