Always Hungry

Mason has decided that he wants to eat constantly. The doctor said he is probably just going through a growth spurt. I'm actually typing this with one hand, and feeding him with the other. I'm finally getting used to doing all of my normal activities one-handed. He normally sucks on his hands when he wants to eat.

Pediatrician Appointment

We had our first appointment with the pediatrician today. It went very well. Mason is already back up to his birth weight! He had lost quite a bit of weight in the hospital, so we were very happy about this. Also, his jaundice was all cleared up. Overall, everything looked great. He is still just a little guy though.

New Glider

We thought we would try not having a glider for the baby's room. However, after a few days home, we realized it would be really nice. So, we went out and got one. I think Mason likes it.


New Glider

Go IU

I forgot to tell everyone that Mason is already an IU fan. He met former IU basketball star, Alan Henderson, while he was in the hospital. He recognized him right away and called him over for a picture.


Go IU

Getting Our Rest

We've been working on getting caught up on our sleep lately. We are still behind, but catching up. This is Mason's favorite position to sleep...


Mason

Getting Settled In

Well, we got home from the hospital late Thursday night. We've been trying to catch up on sleep. I will post again soon, but I wanted to put out a picture of Mason in his crib for the first time. I think he likes it!

He is here...

For those of you still waiting for an update... Mason finally made it into the world. He came 2 weeks early, and was born at 8:36pm on July 19th, weighing 6lbs 2oz. Sorry I left everyone hanging for so long on the blog, but here is the story...

On Tuesday morning, around 5:30am my water broke. I went into the doctor's office at 8am because I really wasn't sure if my water had broken or not. I told Efe to go to work because I didn't think that it was really my water breaking. The doctor took a look and sent me over for delivery!

I called Efe right away and he was on his way to meet me at the hospital. I was starving and knew that they would not let me eat there, so I went to Panera Bread to get some food on the way. It was pretty funny because I was calling people telling them that I was in labor and going to the hospital, then I was saying "I would like a cinnamon crunch bagel please... to go." The person at the counter looked at me like I was crazy, and maybe I was, but I knew it was going to be a long time before they would let me eat again.

Efe met me at the hospital and we checked in together. The beginning of labor went very slowly because I was having contractions but they were 7-8 mins apart. So, after a couple of hours, they decided to give me some medicine to make the contractions come stronger. They were quite a bit stronger. The first time the doctor checked me, I was 6cm dialated. The labor progressed very quickly until the end. I stayed 9 cm dialated for a while.

There were some problems during the delivery. Mason's heart rate kept dropping too low during the contractions. The doctor was very informative and she spent a lot of time in our room monitoring his heart rate. She told us that he wasn't going to be able to handle a long pushing session. He had to come out very quickly or they would have to take him by c-section.

When it came time to push, the doctor used a vacuum suction to help pull him out. The entire time I was pushing only lasted about 10-15 minutes, and we had a baby boy. The doctor told us that the umbilical cord had been in the way between his head and his shoulder, so it was causing his heart rate to drop every time I had a contraction. Because of the heart rate problems, someone from the neonatal intensive care unit came over to examine him immediately after birth. Luckily, everything was great. A healthy baby boy!

Here is a picture of him right after delivery. He was quite alert, but had some stuff in his eyes that they had treated him with. I'll be posting more pictures of him soon.

Is it time?

OK, I think my water broke. I'm on my way to the doctor's office to get it checked. If it broke, then I will be heading to the hospital from there. Wish me luck!

Still Resting

Nothing exciting going on today. I'm so sick of watching television, reading and surfing the web. I wish I could get up and do something, but when I stand for too long I start feeling crappy. I've been having contractions on and off for the past few days, but they always stop. I hope that this means that my body is making some progress on its own to having this baby. The more I progress, the better it will be if they have to induce me. Maybe I'll go into labor before tomorrow, but it doesn't seem like it.

Tomorrow I go in to see the doctor again at 1:00. They will check my blood pressure, and if it is still high, they will likely set up a time to induce my labor. We'll see what happens. I will be 38 weeks tomorrow and the doctor said the baby should be completely mature by then. I wish my body would go into labor on its own because I would rather nature take its course. However, I guess it will be safer to deliver the baby rather than having us both be in danger.

It is strange, because as much as I have been tired of being pregnant, part of me will be sad to no longer be pregnant. It is just so amazing to know that there is a living human being inside of me. It is truly a miracle that I never understood until it happened to me. This could be the hormones talking though, and I could be wishing to hurry and have this baby in a few minutes.

Baby May Be Coming...

Well, I went in to the doctor today after a couple of days of bedrest. Unfortunately, my blood pressure was very much higher. The doctor gave me two options...

Option #1 - Go to the hospital NOW and have them monitor my blood pressure, and they would probably end up inducing me tonight.

Option #2 - Go home and rest. If I feel any worse, I have to call right away. I will go in for another doctor's appointment on Monday or Tuesday and see how I'm doing. She said that it doesn't make sense to let me go past 38 weeks though. But, she said it would be best if I can make it until then to give the baby a little more time.

So, I chose option #2, as I was totally freaked out about the thought of having the baby tonight. She isn't going to let me go much longer though, so it looks like if I can make it until next week they will induce me then. Hopefully I will be able to make it until then. The doctor also said that I am already 2 cm dialated, which is favorable for an induction. So, I guess it could be possible that I will go into labor on my own before then, which would be preferred.

I am nervous about being induced because in our lamaze class they told us that this is much more painful than going into labor on your own. I guess because the contractions are so much stronger. I guess I might not have a choice. I will update soon. Wish me lots of contraction vibes!

Bedrest is Boring

Well, I spent most of the day today resting. I had to go into my doctor's office for a blood test. Then, since I was out, I decided to go to the grocery store on the way home to get some food. I didn't really have much in the house to eat and I was hungry. Well, they just happened to have some people there doing blood pressure tests, so I decided to have mine taken to see if the rest had paid off. My blood pressure was higher! I couldn't believe it. I was hoping that it would've dropped since I had rested the whole day, but I guess not. I go back to the doctor tomorrow to see how I'm doing. I'm not sure what he'll say if my blood pressure is still high. I was hoping it would just go down on its own. Maybe it will go down tomorrow. I do have to say that today was very boring, and I don't know if I can take 3 weeks of day time television. So, I hope that tomorrow he will say I don't have to stay on rest. I will let you know...

37 Weeks - High Blood Pressure

I had my doctor checkup today. I have been having headaches quite a bit for the past week. My blood pressure came back high, so my doctor has put me on bedrest for a couple of days. I'm supposed to rest, and then go back to get checked again on Friday. Hopefully, my blood pressure will drop and I can go back to work. I have realized lately that working is good because it keeps me distracted. I think that if I just had to stay home I would probably just spend the whole time wondering when the baby is going to come. So, it is nice to be at work and keep my mind occupied.

The doctor said that I am now full term and the baby can come any time in the next few weeks. Hopefully I don't go late past my due date because that would be disappointing to wait that long. We'll see how long the little guy wants to hang out in there, or if he is ready to see what it is like out here.

Baby Dropping

For the past week, I have noticed that the baby has moved even lower into my pelvis. It is exciting because it means he is getting ready to come soon. Unfortunately, it is causing some really bad groin/pelvic pain. My doctor said that he thinks it is my pubic bone seperating. He said that this isn't really normal, but it sometimes happens to pregnant women. He is sending me to see a physical therapist to see if they can help. I hope so.

Luckily, there is only 4 more weeks to go. It literally feels like the baby is head-bunting me in the pelvis sometimes. I think he is getting bored in there, and looking for more entertainment. I guess this is just that he is moving lower and lower, so I look at it as a sign of the baby coming soon! The doctor said that after 36 weeks, which is where I am now, the baby is probably going to be already fully developed. This means that if the baby were to be born now, he shouldn't have complications from coming early, so that is reassuring. We'll just see how long he wants to stay in there. The doctor actually asked me when I thought the baby would come. I told him that I have a feeling he will stay in there as long as he possible can, so I think we still have a while to wait.