More pictures of the first 9 days

So, here are some more pictures of Laurel's first nine days.

First off, my picture at 38 weeks pregnant:

Because Laurel was so small, she spent her hospital stay in the NICU. They wanted to monitor her for signs of CMV, verify she was able to hold her temperature, eating well, etc. Adam and I visited every three hours while she was there.

She really likes to make this pirate face at us:

Laurel wasn't even four days old and she was showered with flowers:

Before we could leave the hospital, Laurel's vitals had to be monitored while she sat in her carseat for 90 minutes. She passed with flying colors.

Then we had to do what they call a NICU "room-in," where we spend the night with Laurel in a hotel room type setting and care for her overnight. Nurses would come in every three hours to see how we were managing, take her vitals, etc. They were also there to answer any questions we had. Laurel was very cooperative.



After passing the "room-in," we were ready to make our get-away in this new outfit:

Here is Laurel's official "jail break" photo:

We got home mid-afternoon on Tuesday, October 23:

This was her first bath at home. Needless to say, she was none too pleased, but we survived it! I think it was harder on Mommy and Daddy than it was on Laurel.

Finally, here we are at 39 weeks (pardon the lack of makeup; you're lucky I'm at least showered):



October 19, 2012 - The Day Our Lives Changed Forever

At 2:13pm on Friday, October 19, 2012, Laurel Shea entered the world. She introduced me to a new kind of love and, truthfully, I wasn't prepared for how fully and entirely overwhelmed I would be with love for her. After 42 hours of labor, we welcomed a baby girl (much to our surprise) who weighed in at 4lbs, 9.9oz and 17.5 inches:

Because of her small size and the possibility of having CMV, Laurel was welcomed into the world with an entourage of hospital personnel. We probably had about 12 different people join in the celebration. Since we had so many people there, I wasn't really able to see Laurel right away (they blocked my view). I yelled at Adam repeatedly to get some pictures - I wanted to be able to see what had happened. This is my favorite, I think, because you see she's only 3 minutes old and can see her birth date on the woman's watch:



Here is when I finally got to meet our little girl:

Our first family photo, followed by one where you can actually see everyone's face:

This is the face of 42 hours of labor. Magically, you forget all of the hard work and pain the second that beautiful baby comes into the world. I wasn't prepared for the sobbing that ensued immediately after her birth. She was just so tiny and absolutely perfect:

Daddy has skin-to-skin time:

And a couple of others:



Well, it's time to eat, so I'll have to add more later. And trust me, there are PLENTY more pictures to come. We are just so smitten. <3



Emotional Rollercoaster

This week has been quite the emotional rollercoaster for me. I was so hopeful on Monday that Zyggie would show improved growth that it was a bit of a shock when they recommended going ahead with induction.

Since then, I've been worried about Zyggie and whether he/she will do well outside of my womb. I'm scared of the induction process, knowing that contractions often come hard and fast with induction. Will I react well to the process? Will Zyggie? Will I be able to do this vaginally or will I end up with a c-section?

I've also spent a lot of time thinking about how our lives are about to change. I've, selfishly, been saddened that we won't get to go to the Maple Leaf Festival this weekend. I feel guilty when I think about how Sadie will no longer be an only child. In 3 days, I will no longer be pregnant - this thought makes me well up.

The doctor gave us a weight estimate on Monday of 4lbs, 15oz. That is tiny! Does Zyggie really weigh that little or does he/she take after us? After all, Adam and I are not tall people, but we have heavy bones. Both of us are the kind of people who look like we weigh a lot less than we do. Most people would look at the not-pregnant me and assume I weigh all of 105lbs, but in reality, I weigh about 130. Maybe Zyggie hides his/her weight the same way? I know they determine that weight estimate based on measurements of the legs, head, abdomen, etc.

Anyway, I know it seems silly that I'm so overwhelmed with emotion. I should be excited to meet our child, but I find myself overwhelmed. I keep telling Adam it would almost be better to go into labor spontaneously. At least then I wouldn't have the opportunity to brood on these things.

I know that things will be alright. We are delivering at the hospital with the best NICU in the state and I will do whatever is necessary for the two of us (Zyggie and me) to be healthy. In the meantime, I'm trying to accept and acknowledge my fears.

Wish me luck tomorrow!

37 Weeks and Special Delivery

I've officially reached 37 weeks and the past month or so has really been a rollercoaster. In July, we thought I might've been exposed to mono (Epstein-Barr), so the OB tested me for Epstein-Barr and cytomegalovirus (CMV) to see if I test positive.

Well, mono showed antibodies for a previous infection (presumably years ago) and CMV showed antibodies for a current or recent infection. Since I wasn't displaying any active symptoms, the OB decided to test me again in 2-3 weeks. The same results ensued. We repeated this pattern every 2-3 weeks, anticipating the antibodies to convert to "past infection." At 34 weeks, my tests still had not converted to showing a past infection, which was perplexing.

CMV is concerning to have during pregnancy, as it can cause some birth defects. The severity depends on when you have the infection. After visiting with a perinatologist (high-risk OB), we've determined it's highly unlikely I have or had CMV during pregnancy. There is a high incidence of cross-reaction on this particular antibody test and people often have a false positive. One consideration is people who have an autoimmune disorder (I've questioned whether I have celiac for quite some time and it is closely tied with autoimmune disorders).

Anyway, while all of this "does she or doesn't she have CMV?" drama was going on, the perinatologist performed a thorough ultrasound to look for other signs of CMV - calcification in the organs or stunted growth. While Zyggies organs look great, he/she is measuring small.

We repeated the growth ultrasound again today and learned that Zyggie is not showing improvement in his/her growth rate. Although Zyggie's blood flow and heart rate look excellent, they've decided it's less risky to have him/her on the outside. Soooo, I'm being induced on Thursday. I have to go in on Wednesday night to receive Cervidil, then begin to receive Pitocin on Thursday morning at 7am.

I'm scared, anxious, nervous, and excited. I'm mostly worried right now. Worried whether the baby will do well in the outside world (is NICU in our future?), scared about induction. My emotions are all over. On a positive note though, the perinatologist says Zyggie has a "full head of hair." :) I'm choosing to focus on this because it makes me smile.

So, while there may not be an update for later this week, you should get some exciting pictures next week!

In the meantime, you'll have to make due with my 37 week picture and our Halloween costumes:

Final Preparations

Since I'm 36 weeks, that means next Friday I'm officially full-term (37 weeks). Adam and I are spending our Saturday finishing up shopping for the  last-minute things we need, like a crib mattress and bedding, a changing table pad, supplies for the hospital, etc. We just want to make sure we're prepared in case I go early.

We still feel like we aren't entirely prepared for the way our lives are going to change. But really, can anyone be fully prepared for this? It ends up just being one of those "jump into the deep end" sort of things. Fortunately, Adam's an excellent swimmer and I can hold my own with a doggy paddle. :)

I have realized this week that I have *no idea* what should go in a diaper bag other than diapers, wipes, and a portable changing pad. I'm guessing an extra outfit for baby and probably a shirt for me (at least), some toys, maybe some diaper rash cream (fortunately, I was given a few little travel-sized items), and what else? This is one of those cases where Google is my new best friend.

Once we get the nursery is finally finished with the mattress and bedding in place, etc., I will take pictures and post them. We still don't have wall decor up, but that's ok. We'll get to that eventually.

The rest of this weekend will be devoted to spending time together and probably preparing some freezer-friendly meals. So far, I've only thought of chili, but I'm sure I'll come up with more. There's only so much pasta a girl can handle...

Here is this week's picture at 36 weeks:

I really look a lot bigger in the pictures than I feel. How can I be so big when I don't feel that way? I'm really not uncomfortable at this stage and perhaps I should be. I do get heartburn when food looks at me, but otherwise, I'm doing ok. Adam helps me get my tie shoes on and often helps me get my shoes off. Stooping and bending can be quite challenging, but that comes with the territory.

Oh and I had another check-up with OB yesterday. He doesn't start cervical checks for another 2 weeks (38 weeks). I think that makes sense though; otherwise, telling a woman she's 1cm dilated and 50% effaced would just give a false sense of hope. In reality, women can walk around like that for weeks. Why make her anxious about impending childbirth when it can really be a while longer? In other news, I'm up about 23lbs now - I think Zyggie had a growth spurt last week because I gained about 2.5lbs this past week. This is good news though. I know Zyggie will do some of his/her best growing now. 

35 weeks - home stretch

Well, we're in the home stretch now! Adam and I kept forgetting to take my picture, so the 35 week picture is actually from 35 weeks, 3 days:

Having the realization last week that we had 35 days left until my due date, then realizing today meant ONE MONTH really got us moving on the nursery. We have the crib set up and the nursery is livable, though not completely finished.

We've both had a long day at work, so we'll post nursery pictures later...we still have to put the finishing touches on it, but it's definitely coming along. :)

Tonight, we went to the hospital (Overland Park Regional Medical Center) for our pre-admission appointment. We went over all of our preferences from whether they should offer pain meds to breastfeeding to Social Security numbers. It was overwhelming, but it brings us one step closer to being prepared. It was a lot of information to take in, so thankfully we have a few papers to read through before the big day.

34 weeks - A Big Milestone

On Friday, I hit 34 weeks and this is a big milestone. If I go into labor at this point, the doctors will not try to stop it. Eeek! This is getting REAL.

This little milestone got us really working on the nursery. Adam painted while I was in Iowa last week and it looks amazing. He's actually installing new baseboards, door casings, and a chair rail as I type. I must say he's impressed me - each room he redoes in this house is better than the last! Not that Zyggie will be the wiser...but WE will. :)

While in Iowa, my coworker (Tiffani) surprised me with a baby shower! We took an extra long lunch to have everyone celebrate. The shower had a book theme, with everyone bringing their favorite children's book for Zyggie. I continue to be overwhelmed with everyone's generosity. Here are some pictures from the shower:

And last, but not least, my 34 week belly picture: