As most of you have probably seen, on Facebook I asked people what they put in the bag they took to the hospital and what they wish they had taken. Now I know 2 of us don't have to worry about this anymore so they can weigh in on what they wish they had taken. If the rest of you have any other good ideas definitely respond!
Here is the list of everything people have suggested (I'm not necessarily taking all of this but wanted to share it all anyway):
Chapstick
Hairbands
Slippers
Your own pillow (1 person said bring as many as you can!)
Lanolin
Ipod with soothing music
Nursing tank top
Lansenoh
Boppy
Travel sized shampoo and soap
Toothbrush and Toothpaste
Suckers
Phone/charger
Camera/charger/batteries
my mommy said to bring my mommy! :-D
lots of people said snacks!
a craft project
DVDs
my husband's button down shirts (comfy and easy to nurse in)
blanket
exercise ball (my hospital has those)
oils and candles
socks
Always super long overnight pads
a few different outfits for baby because we don't know how big she'll be
going home outfits for baby
going home outfits for mom (pants big enough because I don't know how big I'll be!)
nightgown for after delivery
I'm going to do like my friend Ashley suggested and have my bag together now (I've already packed it!) but put a list with it now with everything that I will have to add last minute like camera and stuff
If anyone else has any suggestions, I'd love to hear it! We're all going to be moms before we know it!!!!
-Emily <><
Monday, November 30, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
breastfeeding 101
Let me preface this entry by saying that having a newborn is a wonderful experience. She changes in little ways every day and it is so fascinating to watch her slowly develop and grow and experience the world for the first time. Joe and I are so lucky that Laine has been a very laidback and easy baby for the most part... she sleeps solidly, she eats on a good schedule, she's not too fussy except when she has gas (and really, who can blame her for that?). I wouldn't trade the time I have with her for anything.
That being said, there is a huge glaring lie in the new-mommy world that I feel I must clear up for the sake of your sanity...
Breastfeeding is HARD.
I know it's supposed to be this natural, beautiful bonding experience for you and your new little one, but it has been almost 2 weeks and Laine and I are just finally getting the hang of it. At first, it hurt. A lot. Cracked, bleeding, stinging, you name it. Then that started to get a little better (thank you, lactation nurse at Athens Regional and lanolin cream) and WHAMMO my milk came in. And did it ever. I was so engorged Laine was unable to latch on properly (again) and we would both get to a point of frustration that it was just impossible to have a successful feeding. So I had to pump every feeding (usually after about half an hour of attempting to get her to latch) and give her my milk in a bottle. Which then made me nervous that she would never be able to latch on again because she would get used to the bottle. And engorgement? OW. I mean, I am grateful for an ample milk supply, but still... OW. (Warm washcloths or a heating pad applied right before a feeding help a lot.)
Joe thinks that they don't tell you how frustrating and painful and difficult it would be because then no one would do it. But I think it may actually have the opposite effect. Women start breastfeeding thinking that it is something they should be able to do easily and then when they can't for whatever reason, they give up. They think that they have failed or that something is wrong with them. But everyone I have talked to has shared stories of at least a few weeks of struggle... and that's on the good end of things with a good milk let-down and no mastitis or anything like that.
But here's the good news; eventually, you both do figure it out. Laine latches on within the first few minutes now and eats happily for about half an hour. It doesn't hurt and my breasts, while still rather large, are feeling almost back to normal. I highly recommend finding a support group or having the number of your hospital's lactation nurses handy (I think I called them a few times a day for a couple days, sometimes in tears, and they were always so encouraging and helpful). The groups at the 2 hospitals here in Athens were life-saving and probably kept me from throwing in the towel early.
So I'm not trying to scare any of you away from breastfeeding. The benefits SO far outweigh the struggles and there is nothing better for your baby, especially in their first few months of life. I just hope that you can enter into the experience a little more prepared than I was, with your armor on and your head high, knowing that even while it is a beautiful and natural and wonderful thing...
breastfeeding kinda sucks.*
*Pun totally intended. ;)
That being said, there is a huge glaring lie in the new-mommy world that I feel I must clear up for the sake of your sanity...
Breastfeeding is HARD.
I know it's supposed to be this natural, beautiful bonding experience for you and your new little one, but it has been almost 2 weeks and Laine and I are just finally getting the hang of it. At first, it hurt. A lot. Cracked, bleeding, stinging, you name it. Then that started to get a little better (thank you, lactation nurse at Athens Regional and lanolin cream) and WHAMMO my milk came in. And did it ever. I was so engorged Laine was unable to latch on properly (again) and we would both get to a point of frustration that it was just impossible to have a successful feeding. So I had to pump every feeding (usually after about half an hour of attempting to get her to latch) and give her my milk in a bottle. Which then made me nervous that she would never be able to latch on again because she would get used to the bottle. And engorgement? OW. I mean, I am grateful for an ample milk supply, but still... OW. (Warm washcloths or a heating pad applied right before a feeding help a lot.)
Joe thinks that they don't tell you how frustrating and painful and difficult it would be because then no one would do it. But I think it may actually have the opposite effect. Women start breastfeeding thinking that it is something they should be able to do easily and then when they can't for whatever reason, they give up. They think that they have failed or that something is wrong with them. But everyone I have talked to has shared stories of at least a few weeks of struggle... and that's on the good end of things with a good milk let-down and no mastitis or anything like that.
But here's the good news; eventually, you both do figure it out. Laine latches on within the first few minutes now and eats happily for about half an hour. It doesn't hurt and my breasts, while still rather large, are feeling almost back to normal. I highly recommend finding a support group or having the number of your hospital's lactation nurses handy (I think I called them a few times a day for a couple days, sometimes in tears, and they were always so encouraging and helpful). The groups at the 2 hospitals here in Athens were life-saving and probably kept me from throwing in the towel early.
So I'm not trying to scare any of you away from breastfeeding. The benefits SO far outweigh the struggles and there is nothing better for your baby, especially in their first few months of life. I just hope that you can enter into the experience a little more prepared than I was, with your armor on and your head high, knowing that even while it is a beautiful and natural and wonderful thing...
breastfeeding kinda sucks.*
*Pun totally intended. ;)
Crib Recall
Hello ladies! Long time no chat :-D
Not sure what kind of cribs that everyone has but I wanted to post about this recall just in case you, or someone you know, has a Stork Craft crib.
Crib Recall
Hope everyone is doing well. Can't wait to see pictures of our 2 newest members! :-D
-Emily <><
Not sure what kind of cribs that everyone has but I wanted to post about this recall just in case you, or someone you know, has a Stork Craft crib.
Crib Recall
Hope everyone is doing well. Can't wait to see pictures of our 2 newest members! :-D
-Emily <><
Saturday, November 14, 2009
everything and nothing at all
My description of being a new mommy is about the same as my description of labor... it is both everything you expected, and nothing at all like you thought it would be. It is the hardest thing you've ever done and the most natural and simplest as well. The highs are crazy high and the lows are heartbreakingly low. You have to keep a sense of humor or you'll worry about everything.
As Emily filled you all in on, my doctor and I decided at my appointment Tuesday (was that really only a few days ago???) that it was time to give the baby a bit of a nudge in the right direction. I was still about 60% effaced but not at all dilated and the baby was sitting really low in my pelvis. Dr. Goggin felt that it wouldn't take much to get labor started and after some weighing of pros and cons I decided that I would go ahead into the hospital.
Joe and I arrived at the hospital at about 6:15 on Tuesday night. Since my appointment had been in the morning, I had a lot of time to make sure the house and our lives were in order. I made a million and one phone calls, cleaned the bathroom, checked and double checked our hospital bags, and tried to wrap my mind around what was happening. Once we were settled into our L&D room they started an IV for my antibiotics and put in the Cervadil at about 7:30. I felt fine until about 11pm when the Cervadil actually prompted some contractions. Even after being given an Ambien I was awake throughout the night, finally waking Joe up at about 4:30 to help me get through the pain. And on the note of labor pain... you can all handle it. Yes, it is intense, and yes it is definitely painful, but it really feels a lot like really bad menstrual cramping. Some contractions were worse than others, but I felt like it was definitely manageable. In fact, I was feeling good about going natural up until about 12 the next day. They had started me on Pitocin to regulate my contractions at about 7 in the morning but I still had not made any progress and I was exhausted. When Dr. Goggin checked me at noon, it was one of the most painful parts of the whole experience. My cervix had moved back instead of forward, so he essentially had to reach in and the pull it forward in order to check me. After all of that, he said I was still at only 2 cms and I decided that I would be too tired when it came time to push unless I could get some rest. So really it was the exhaustion that convinced me to get an epidural rather than the pain. Again, if you want to try natural, I encourage you to do it. You all can! After getting the epidural around 1, I napped off and on for a while and felt much better. At 4 they checked me again and I was at about 4cm and my cervix had returned to the correct position. Between 4:00 and 6:00, I went all the way to 9cm, and by 6:30 I was feeling ready to push. Even with the epidural I could feel a LOT of pressure. I started pushing at 7 (change of shift, sadly... we loved our day nurse Amanda!) and pushed with the nurse, my mom, and Joe for about 2 hours before Dr. Goggin came in. He told me that he was pretty sure the baby was "sunny side up", which is why I was so close but getting stuck. He asked me if I wanted an episiotomy, but I was adamant that I would make it through pushing on my own. He coached me through another extremely intense half hour of pushing (very hands on on his end, lots of yelling and encouragement and counting all around). Finally, at 9:22pm, Laine Ann helped her mommy out by corkscrewing herself around as she came out, saving me both from a lot of trauma "down below" and from any more pushing! Dr. Goggin confirmed that it was because she was facing the wrong way that the pushing (and labor in general) had taken such a long time. It also resulted in quite the lovely conehead for our poor little one. While I thought she was beautiful and pink and perfect, I was also very aware that her head was not so cute at first!
So far, Laine has been awesome. We've had some frustration with feeding, but we are both getting the hang of it and trying to get on a schedule. We really enjoyed our first night at home with her last night and are expecting basically a revolving door of visitors this afternoon, as well as the return of our 2 furry children this afternoon!
I can't wait to hear everyone else's labor stories soon and to share more with you all about my beautiful daughter (it's so crazy to be able to say I have a daughter!).
As Emily filled you all in on, my doctor and I decided at my appointment Tuesday (was that really only a few days ago???) that it was time to give the baby a bit of a nudge in the right direction. I was still about 60% effaced but not at all dilated and the baby was sitting really low in my pelvis. Dr. Goggin felt that it wouldn't take much to get labor started and after some weighing of pros and cons I decided that I would go ahead into the hospital.
Joe and I arrived at the hospital at about 6:15 on Tuesday night. Since my appointment had been in the morning, I had a lot of time to make sure the house and our lives were in order. I made a million and one phone calls, cleaned the bathroom, checked and double checked our hospital bags, and tried to wrap my mind around what was happening. Once we were settled into our L&D room they started an IV for my antibiotics and put in the Cervadil at about 7:30. I felt fine until about 11pm when the Cervadil actually prompted some contractions. Even after being given an Ambien I was awake throughout the night, finally waking Joe up at about 4:30 to help me get through the pain. And on the note of labor pain... you can all handle it. Yes, it is intense, and yes it is definitely painful, but it really feels a lot like really bad menstrual cramping. Some contractions were worse than others, but I felt like it was definitely manageable. In fact, I was feeling good about going natural up until about 12 the next day. They had started me on Pitocin to regulate my contractions at about 7 in the morning but I still had not made any progress and I was exhausted. When Dr. Goggin checked me at noon, it was one of the most painful parts of the whole experience. My cervix had moved back instead of forward, so he essentially had to reach in and the pull it forward in order to check me. After all of that, he said I was still at only 2 cms and I decided that I would be too tired when it came time to push unless I could get some rest. So really it was the exhaustion that convinced me to get an epidural rather than the pain. Again, if you want to try natural, I encourage you to do it. You all can! After getting the epidural around 1, I napped off and on for a while and felt much better. At 4 they checked me again and I was at about 4cm and my cervix had returned to the correct position. Between 4:00 and 6:00, I went all the way to 9cm, and by 6:30 I was feeling ready to push. Even with the epidural I could feel a LOT of pressure. I started pushing at 7 (change of shift, sadly... we loved our day nurse Amanda!) and pushed with the nurse, my mom, and Joe for about 2 hours before Dr. Goggin came in. He told me that he was pretty sure the baby was "sunny side up", which is why I was so close but getting stuck. He asked me if I wanted an episiotomy, but I was adamant that I would make it through pushing on my own. He coached me through another extremely intense half hour of pushing (very hands on on his end, lots of yelling and encouragement and counting all around). Finally, at 9:22pm, Laine Ann helped her mommy out by corkscrewing herself around as she came out, saving me both from a lot of trauma "down below" and from any more pushing! Dr. Goggin confirmed that it was because she was facing the wrong way that the pushing (and labor in general) had taken such a long time. It also resulted in quite the lovely conehead for our poor little one. While I thought she was beautiful and pink and perfect, I was also very aware that her head was not so cute at first!
So far, Laine has been awesome. We've had some frustration with feeding, but we are both getting the hang of it and trying to get on a schedule. We really enjoyed our first night at home with her last night and are expecting basically a revolving door of visitors this afternoon, as well as the return of our 2 furry children this afternoon!
I can't wait to hear everyone else's labor stories soon and to share more with you all about my beautiful daughter (it's so crazy to be able to say I have a daughter!).
Friday, November 13, 2009
What a week I have had...with my new little man!
Hello ladies!
So let me tell you how is jinxed myself...
I was 37 weeks last Thursday, and I wrote on my facebook that I was excited that I was finally full term, and that this little guy could come any day. One of my friends wrote back and said "I hope he doesn't come tonight since ECU is playing VT". Of course I had to say "well if I go into labor, he will just have to wait until the game is over to come out and meet us...". Famous last words.
I came home from work and stopped by the grocery store. I picked up a 12 pack to surprise my husband so he could have some beer to watch the big game and I picked up some ice cream for myself. I made it all the way home feeling fine. I got in the house just as Joey was leaving for a run, and told him it was a pizza, beer and football kind of night. Kissed him good by and took my shoes off. About 5 minutes later I had to pee. So, I did my thing and stood up and I was like, well that has never happened before. I thought I wasn't done, which is common in pregnancy, but has never happened to me before. So anyways, I stood up again and it did it a little more after I pulled my pants up. Needless to say this happened several more times during the course of the evening. So I called my sister and said that either my water just broke or I just peed myself. Either way, I wasn't ready for either to be the case. I hadn't packed a bag, Joey is running, and if I call my mom, she would be there before I could get off the phone with the doctor.
So I laid down and waited for Joey to return. My sister said if I laid down for about 30 minutes and if I still had fluid coming out, it was my water. So Joey came home, and you should have seen the look on his face when I told him what was going on. So I called the doctor and she told me to relax, eat some dinner, take a shower and when I was ready to make my way to the hospital. So we did that, though I was too excited to eat much, and Joey was too anxious to sit still. The nursery wasn't quite ready and we needed to pack. Basically we were just too worked up. And since every time I moved I was seriously leaking we left for the the hospital just a couple of hours later. But I cannot stress how important it is to eat something before you leave. I went at least 36 hours without eating, and I was STARVING!
So I get to the hospital, and they confirm my water did break. I wasn't dilated or anything, but they admitted me and we started getting settled. I forgot to mention, I wasn't in any pain. My tummy was getting tight, but if my water had not broken, I would never had known it was time. They started me on poticin since I wasn't dilated at all and I was on the clock since my water broke. Painful contractions started about 2:30 Friday morning, and by the time 7 am rolled around I was more than ready for my epi. Unfortunately there was no progress. It took all day for me to get to 10 cm, in fact I was on poticin for about 24 hours before I was fully there.
Our parents were the only ones we wanted there while I labored, and Joey's parents started there drive from Greenville, NC early in the morning, and my mom struggled to stay at work Friday. But they all arrived around 5 pm. Around 8 something I was finally there. I never really felt the urge to push. But I tried for about 2 hours. The doctor said I could continue to push for about an hour longer, but he didn't think I was going to be able to have this baby vaginally. This little guy was just taking his time, and time was the one thing that his mommy didn't have on her side.
So at 10:30 I was prepped for a c section, and at 11:03 Andrew Smith Battle was born! He had such a little cry, but that was all that was little about him. He was 8 lbs and 20.5 inches long. I look down at my belly and do not know how he fit in there. I didn't actually get to see him very well until I went into recovery but once I did I knew he was the cutest little guy ever! I will have to go into more detail about all the stuff I have learned and what I wasn't prepared for, but I wanted to at least share my birthing story with you guys. He will be a week old tonight at 11:03 and cannot believe I have known him for so long already. Right now he is sitting in his swing enjoying some music debating on if it is time to wake up and eat.
Hope you are all doing well. And I hear congratulations is in order for Greer and her new addition! Until next time!
Mel
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Baby #2!
Just wanted to let you know that Laine Ann Caldwell was born this evening, some time around 9:15pm. I don't have any specifics yet but wanted to let y'all know that she has arrived!
Update on Greer
Hello ladies,
I just received an update from Greer's husband, Joe. As you know, she was admitted into the hospital last night around 6pm. They started cervadil to help continue her effacement and her contractions started at midnight, which means she didn't get any sleep last night! This morning she had dialated some so they started pitocin at 7:30am. By noon she had made no further progress and the nurses informed her that she would probably be in labor til around 7pm. At this point she has been given an epidural and is finally getting some sleep. They are accepting visitors though so it seems that, even though I'm sure they are frustrated, their hopes are high. Keep saying prayers or sending thoughts and I'll let you know when a little baby appears!
-Emily <><
I just received an update from Greer's husband, Joe. As you know, she was admitted into the hospital last night around 6pm. They started cervadil to help continue her effacement and her contractions started at midnight, which means she didn't get any sleep last night! This morning she had dialated some so they started pitocin at 7:30am. By noon she had made no further progress and the nurses informed her that she would probably be in labor til around 7pm. At this point she has been given an epidural and is finally getting some sleep. They are accepting visitors though so it seems that, even though I'm sure they are frustrated, their hopes are high. Keep saying prayers or sending thoughts and I'll let you know when a little baby appears!
-Emily <><
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
#2 on it's way!
Hello ladies,
I just wanted to let you know I saw pictures of Melissa's baby, Andrew, and he is beautiful. I don't know any specifics but he looked very healthy! I think baby and mom might have gone home this morning. Hopefully we'll hear from Melissa soon but I understand that writing on a blog is not her priority.
Also......baby #2 is on it's way! Greer is technically due on this coming Saturday but she and her doctor had a long discussion this morning and they decided to go ahead and try to get things moving. She was admitted to the hospital around 6pm. They are starting with trying to speed along effacement, and then will try breaking the water, and then if that doesn't work, Pitocin it is!
Luckily, during our baby class this evening we had our tour of the labor and delivery ward. I got to see Greer right after she was admitted!!! Once the baby comes I will let y'all know but hopefully we'll hear from her in the next couple of days with news of either pink or blue!!!!
I just wanted to let you know I saw pictures of Melissa's baby, Andrew, and he is beautiful. I don't know any specifics but he looked very healthy! I think baby and mom might have gone home this morning. Hopefully we'll hear from Melissa soon but I understand that writing on a blog is not her priority.
Also......baby #2 is on it's way! Greer is technically due on this coming Saturday but she and her doctor had a long discussion this morning and they decided to go ahead and try to get things moving. She was admitted to the hospital around 6pm. They are starting with trying to speed along effacement, and then will try breaking the water, and then if that doesn't work, Pitocin it is!
Luckily, during our baby class this evening we had our tour of the labor and delivery ward. I got to see Greer right after she was admitted!!! Once the baby comes I will let y'all know but hopefully we'll hear from her in the next couple of days with news of either pink or blue!!!!
Monday, November 9, 2009
I gave in!
Went to the doctor today for one of our every-other-week appointments. Always nice to hear the little girl's heartbeat! Anyway, I have been debating about getting the H1N1 vaccine for the past month or 2 but wasn't too worried about making a decision because we didn't have the vaccine in Athens yet. It seems we do now! I was offered the vaccine today and at first didn't know what I was going to do. Todd is strongly for it but I was still on the fence. I trust my midwife so much though, that when I asked her if she would get it if she was pregnant, and she immediately said yes, I knew that I would trust her on this as well. So I got the vaccine. I don't know if it was the right decision or not but as Todd pointed out, that's parenthood. Constantly second guessing the decisions that you make for the welfare of your children but just doing the best you can with the information you have.
-Emily <><
-Emily <><
Friday, November 6, 2009
the first!
I know I should wait and let her be the one to tell everyone, but I'm just so excited! Melissa's water broke last night and she is officially in labor. I'm not sure if she's had her little boy or not so we'll all have to wait for that information but she will post on the blog as soon as she's had him and gets back on the computer. The first out of 5, it'll only be a domino effect from here on out!
-Emily
-Emily
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Crazy boy is messing with me!
I have had the craziest and most macabre pregnancy side affects over the past 2 weeks. It actually started pretty far back with some not so terrible bloody noses. No big deal, I can handle a couple of minor nose bleeds every week. This turned into having gushing scenes of blood everywhere. I'll wake up and look like I killed poor Adam sleeping next to me. My OB has assured me that its normal, and its just extra hormones coupled with the dry, cool weather, but it is so gross! What is my sweet baby boy doing to me?!? We're sticking with dark colored pillow cases for a while.
The next side affect was actually a little scarier. I've had a mole ever since I was born. It's never bothered me and I've never bothered it. Out of nowhere it starts to grow and bleed! Scary stuff when you consider the outlook after googling growing, bleeding mole. I made an appointment with a dermatologist (who just like my overworked OB,) said it was probably nothing, but they shaved it right off anyway and sent it in for a biopsy. Thank God everything came back normal, but it was scary to run through your head the different scenarios of what if it doesn't come back normal. Crazy preggo hormones are turning my body into an oozing egg just waiting to hatch the monster in side of me, (Mommy doesn't really mean that Isaac.) Needless to say, I no longer have my life long companion - the mole. It was all definitely worth my peace of mind to get it checked out. Hopefully, we'll have no more crazy symptoms, but I seriously doubt that this was the last of my frantic calls to the OB. Poor Dr. Meek!
~Andrea
The next side affect was actually a little scarier. I've had a mole ever since I was born. It's never bothered me and I've never bothered it. Out of nowhere it starts to grow and bleed! Scary stuff when you consider the outlook after googling growing, bleeding mole. I made an appointment with a dermatologist (who just like my overworked OB,) said it was probably nothing, but they shaved it right off anyway and sent it in for a biopsy. Thank God everything came back normal, but it was scary to run through your head the different scenarios of what if it doesn't come back normal. Crazy preggo hormones are turning my body into an oozing egg just waiting to hatch the monster in side of me, (Mommy doesn't really mean that Isaac.) Needless to say, I no longer have my life long companion - the mole. It was all definitely worth my peace of mind to get it checked out. Hopefully, we'll have no more crazy symptoms, but I seriously doubt that this was the last of my frantic calls to the OB. Poor Dr. Meek!
~Andrea
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