Emma: One Month Old

My little girl is a month old!! In all honesty, the first month didn't go too fast and I was very grateful for that! Birth was pretty intense and fast! My epidural only took for about 30 minutes so I felt EVERYTHING while pushing. But I think that helped me in recovery since I didn't have to necessarily didn't have to "recover" from the epidural. I felt great afterwards.

In the hospital, Emma had some crazy cluster feeding sessions. She would want to eat many times within about a 5 hour period and then she's sleep and/or be awake for 5 hours or so. Cluster feeding was intense, but I was SO happy that she was feeding like a champ. She latched on great!

At 3 days old she was still cluster feeding, but she wasn't acting satisfied afterwards. I was getting concerned that my milk wasn't coming in. She wasn't having a lot of pee diapers so that was also concerning. On that night I was feeling like my milk was starting to come in, but then the next day I wasn't sure. We also had a pediatrician appointment that day and everything look great except for her weight. She had lost 11% since birth so we were recommended to start supplementing. I was crushed. I knew that my body wasn't working properly. Even though Emma was an amazing nurser, my body wasn't able to produce for her. I pumped for about a week or two postpartum, but even that wasn't bringing my milk in. I decided to stop breastfeeding and went to formula 100%.

I didn't have very much baby blues this time. I was pleasantly surprised by that. I was pretty emotional the first week, but after that it went away. Also, my exhaustion wasn't too bad this time as well. The first week was rough and I did have to throw in the towel and let Marcus take over a few times, but I think my body just remembered how to deal with it all like last time. I only napped a handful of times within the first month.

Maggie has done amazingly well with the new baby. I couldn't be more happy with the way she is handling this change. She is eager to help and plays independently really well during the times I have to tend to Emma. She loves giving her kisses and hugs, singing to her, and showing her her toys. It has been so incredibly sweet to watch.

The first month was filled with lots of snuggles! She doesn't take a pacifier, but she loves car rides! She slept in her boppy longer during the day and in the bassinet at night. She was giving up 2-4 hour stretches of sleep at night. She spits up quite a bit and she is a very noisy baby! Witching started around 2 weeks, but it really hasn't been too bad.

She has been in newborn diapers & size newborn clothes for the whole month. We had her 1 month check-up and she weighed 10lbs 1oz and was 21.5" tall! Because she is such a noisy baby, our pedi is referring us to an ENT to make sure it's just something that she will grow out of. That appointment is at the beginning of August.

Emma's Birth Story!

It has been awhile since I have been able to update this blog! Emma is almost 2 months old now! Anyway, I made it to my induction date and I gave birth at 41w3d!! A couple days prior I had a NST and that went great, Emma was doing really well for being "late."

Here are notes that I took while in labor:

4:30am - inserted the foley bulb with ease. Almost 1.5cm & 60% effaced.
5:00am - started me off on lowest dose of Pitocin (1).
8:00am - Foley bulb fell out. 3cm.
11:00am - Nurse thinks my water broke. I'm at 4cm. But the doctor came in and said no, not broken yet. She broke my water, so much gushing! I had internal monitors put in since Emma was moving all over the place.
** contractions come fast and hard. I rocked on the ball while Marcus massaged/counter pressured my back. Contractions every 2-3 minutes. I threw up a couple times. Pit never went over a 5.
12:30pm - I asked for the epi and after screaming for it it was finally administer at 2:00pm. Sucked to have contractions through it, but it was placed within 10 minutes. I was now 7cm.
** epi immediately did its job and I could still move my legs well. I felt tightening in my upper belly, but that was it.
** After about 30 minutes I was feeling lots of pressure in my vag area that hurt! Then came the butt pressure that was even worse. "I AM going to poop" was said many times. I thought my ass was going to fall off. I farted really loud in front of the nurse!!!
2:30pm - checked and at 9cm. I had to push, but of course they told me not to. With every subsequent contraction I felt my body pushing more and more. I was in so much pain. Checked and at 10cm and +1 station. Checked after next contraction and I was crowning. Doctor was 6 minutes away still!
3:00pm - Doctor finally shows up and I pushed for about 15 minutes, but I was almost hyperventilating after each contraction. I said "I don't know if I can do this" several times. It was so painful and it was difficult for me to push correctly until I gave it my all the last 2 contractions.
3:15pm - she's born! Immediate skin-to-skin for an hour or so. I had a small "skid mark" tear that was stitched up (I could feel that too!). She was 8lbs5oz & 19" long. She breastfed right away on both sides! Loves to snuggle.

40 Week Bumpdate!

Well, I knew I would make it to 40 weeks and beyond! I am hoping and praying that this little girl decides to make her appearance on her own this week.

At my 39 week check-up, again, everything went really well. My BP, weight, & baby's heartbeat all looked great. I was checked again and was 1cm dilated and still 50% effaced. I was very happy for any progress!

Yesterday I had my 40 week check-up and still all the normal things were good, so thankful for that! We went over induction and we have a tentative date of Sunday, May 22. I am SO hoping she decides to come before then, but I am happy to have an end date in sight. I was checked and I have made very little progress. She said I was 1cm + a little wiggle and still 50% effaced. She was able to sweep my membranes (which was very uncomfortable) so I was happy about that. We then went in for an ultrasound and Emma is measuring great at 7lbs 5oz. She is in a great position and her fluid level was great too. Overall, I was very happy about my appointment.

So from here on out it's just a waiting game. I will be called in for an NST sometime this week (standard for those who go over their due date). I don't think the membrane sweep was successful, but that is okay, I wanted to give it a try no matter what.

• How many weeks are you? 40 weeks / 1 day

• How are you feeling? I have been experiencing more cramping this week. Feels like I am about to start my period. I have the same amount of BH's and pressure on my cervix. I am peeing constantly and it still pretty uncomfortable sleeping. I have also noticed that I am much more tired this week.

• What are you looking forward to? I am looking forward to going into labor and having this baby! I pray that either my water will break first or labor contractions start so that I know it's go time!

38 Week Bumpdate

This pregnancy has flown by and these past few weeks are no exception! I thought for sure the last month of pregnancy was going to drag, but so far it has not. I feel really lucky to have made it this far feeling relatively good. My family threw a little "sprinkle" for me last weekend and it was so lovely!

Since my last update I have had 3 appointments. Everything was great at my 36 week check-up. My cervix was not checked. Last week at my 37 week check-up I was told that I was not dilated yet, but I was 25% effaced and baby was lower than at my 35 week appointment. They also did a quick ultrasound to make sure baby was still head down and sure enough she was! Yesterday I had my 38 week check-up and again everything looked great. I am now 1/2cm dilated, 50% effaced, and baby is even lower than last week. I am happy for the baby steps my body is taking! I didn't start to dilated until I was 40 weeks with Maggie so I am taking this as a win! Within these past 3 weeks my weight has stayed the same around 24 pounds gained so far. My blood pressure and baby's heart beat has looked great at each appointment too!

Over the past few weeks I have been losing small chunks of my mucus plug. Nothing that has been tinged with blood, but definitely losing bits here and there. I was barely feeling any contractions up until last weekend. That Saturday I was hit with a ton and since then they have kept coming. Nothing that is painful, but I will be on the lookout!

The car seat is installed, I have washed all over her newborn clothes & blankets, and the hospital bag is ALMOST packed.

• How many weeks are you? 38 weeks / 1 day

• How are you feeling? Baby is low and I can feel it! I feel a lot of pressure when I am standing and walking. I have had a few episodes of lighting crotch over the past few days. I am feeling a bit more tired, but I still have energy throughout the day. Sleeping through the night is uncomfortable, but I was still able to get enough sleep to not need too many naps during the day.

• What are you looking forward to? I am looking forward to hitting FULL TERM in a few days! I really don't think Emma will come before her due date, but I am very much looking forward to going into labor soon!

35 Week Bumpdate

A month until my due date! Crazy! I have no feelings as to when I am going to go into labor. I am hoping around week 39. Last weekend I was getting about 2 hours worth of intense BH's, but they died down. That's about as excited as my week went.

I had a check-up yesterday and it went really well. My BP was perfect and I didn't gain any weight this week. Baby's heartbeat was in the 140's. They did the GBS swab and checked me for the first time. No surprise, I am not dilated and baby's head is way up there (but at least still head down). I didn't expect anything different. I think I am going to try and hold off being checked again until 38 weeks. There's really no point to it!

• How many weeks are you? 35 weeks / 1 day

• How are you feeling? Still uncomfortable sleeping, my knees get sore and I am constantly having to flip back and forth. BH's have become a little more intense, but still the same amount. I am a little more tired, but not too bad. Definitely feeling more pressure and aches down there.

• What are you looking forward to? I am looking forward to hitting early term in a week and a half! Can't wait to hit full term in under 3 weeks! 

*** I am GBS negative! Yay!

33 Week Bumpdate

Wow, it has been awhile since I have updated! Over a month! I am definitely feeling PREGNANT and big right now. At lot has happened, but thankfully Emma is doing great!

I had a check-up and growth scan at 29 weeks and it was discovered that I have high amniotic fluid and I was sent for twice a week NST's starting at 32 weeks. At the ultrasound she weighed 3lbs 2oz (54%) and was as cute as can be! Since then I have had 3 NST's and baby has looked perfect at each one.

Today was my 33 week check-up and fluid check. Thankfully, everything looked absolutely perfect. She weighs 4lbs 12oz (52%) and the fluid level is back to normal! Since I didn't see my actual doctor today she couldn't cancel my upcoming NST's, but I should be getting a call tomorrow about that.

• How many weeks are you? 33 weeks / 1 day

• How are you feeling? I am uncomfortable sleeping, but other than that I am doing well. I have off and on sciatic nerve pain, but not much heartburn like I did with Maggie. Braxton Hick's come and go about 5 times a day, but they aren't painful.

• What are you looking forward to? I am looking forward to hitting the "1 month to go" mark! I am looking forward to my next appointment at 35 weeks were they will be checking me for the first time. 

** I passed my GD test with flying colors (I think my number was 91) and I have gained a total of 22lbs so far this pregnancy. 

27 Week Bumpdate

Hello 3rd trimester! The past few weeks have flown by and I can't believe I have hit yet another milestone.

I had a regular check-up yesterday and things went really well. My blood pressure was great (115/70) and baby's heartbeat was loud and strong! I gained 4lbs since my last appointment making total weight gain up to 15lbs. I know I am going to gain more than I did with Maggie, but I am hoping to stay around 20lbs...we will see. I had my glucose test yesterday as well. I am hoping that I passed! Now appointments are every 2 weeks and I have a growth scan at the next one!

• How many weeks are you? 27 weeks / 1 day

• How are you feeling? I am feeling large, but honestly I cannot complain. I have been having upper back pain at work from sitting too long in my chair. Lately, I have been feeling out of breath, especially in the mornings. This baby likes to move ALL THE TIME! I don't remember Maggie being this active.

• What are you looking forward to? I am looking forward to spring and not being coped up inside all the time. I am also looking forward to the ultrasound in 2 weeks to see the baby again!

Also, we finally decided on a name! It took a long time to find something we both liked. Our daughter will be named Emma Christine :-)

23 Week Bumpdate

I can't believe that I am already hitting the uncomfortable stage! Sleeping has become a challenge and I believe this baby had a growth spurt because my belly is noticeably bigger!

I had a regular check-up yesterday and all is well, thankfully. My blood pressure was great at 120/70 and even though my doctor wasn't concerned with my weight gain, I was. I gained 5lbs since my last appointment which makes a total of 11lbs. It is hard not to compare pregnancies, but I was hoping to gain around the same as I did with Maggie (16lbs), but it looks like I will likely go over that number. The baby's heart was beating strong at 150bpm and it was reassuring to know that she was head down. We went over the glucose test I will be taking at my next appointment and she also gave me the hospital registration forms to fill out.

• How many weeks are you? 23 weeks / 1 day

• How are you feeling? Movement has increased substantially which is wonderful. I feel her move many times throughout the day, but there are still days that I don't feel her as much so I know it won't be consistent until a little while longer. In the evenings and at night I have become more uncomfortable. My energy seems to still be up so that's good!

• What are you looking forward to? I am looking forward to hitting the viability mark next week!

20 Week Bumpdate

HALFWAY POINT! Well, at least I hope it's halfway already! I can't believe I am already at this milestone. I really haven't done/bought anything for this pregnancy so I feel like there is lots to do within the next 20 weeks!

We had our anatomy scan last week and I was so happy to find that everything looks healthy and baby is measuring right on track. Baby weighed 11oz and had a heartbeat of 150bpm! It was confirmed that I do have an anterior placenta this time again! We closed our eyes while the ultrasound tech found the sex of the baby! She was able to find it quickly and was confident in what she saw.

My blood pressure was great, but I was a little disappointing with my weight. I gained 4lbs since my last check-up making my total weight gain this pregnancy 6lbs.

Christmas Eve came we opened the little stocking to find out we are having another GIRL! Honestly, we were both thinking it was a boy this time, but we are both thrilled to be having another girl and that Maggie gets a sister!

• How many weeks are you? 20 weeks

• How are you feeling? I have been feeling more consistent movement now....at least twice a day, usually in the morning before I get out of bed and at night when I am relaxing. I am still not at the point where I am feeling her no matter what I am doing...if I have a really busy day I won't feel her as much. I feel more aches in pains in my lower abdomen and I have to be careful not to move too fast!

• What are you looking forward to? Now that the holidays are over I am looking forward to relaxing weekends with my family. We have a lot of organizing and de-cluttering to do so it will be nice to accomplish those tasks.

18 Week Bumpdate

Not a whole lot has been happening since my last update. We are just preparing for Christmas and anxiously awaiting the a/s in exactly 1 week!!

• How many weeks are you? 18 weeks

• How are you feeling? I have still been feeling flutters, but so far they aren't getting any stronger than they were at 16 weeks I believe. I suspect I have an anterior placenta again. I just can't wait until I am feeling more kicks and less flutters! Other than movement I have been feeling great. I had heartburn and sciatica pain last week, but both of those symptoms have seen to have died down a bit this week. Also, I don't feel BH's as much as I used to (which wasn't a lot to begin with).

• What are you looking forward to? I am looking forward to our anatomy scan next ad Christmas next week! I also can't believe that I am almost at the halfway mark! This pregnancy can slow down now, please!

16 Week Bumpdate

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with all of our family and Maggie had so much fun with her cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. 

I had my monthly check-up yesterday and all is well. Over the past few weeks I have been feeling anxious and nervous about this pregnancy, so hearing the heartbeat again was a huge sigh of relief. My blood pressure & weight were both great (2lbs gained so far) and the baby had a heartbeat of 150bpm! We must have a mover on our hands because the baby kept moving away from the doppler!

• How many weeks are you? 16 weeks / 1 day

• How are you feeling? I am feeling overall pretty darn good! I am happy with my weight and energy level thus far. I have been feeling more flutters this week, but I am patiently waiting for those movements to become stronger and more consistent. I feel like this pregnancy I have been much more emotional and I cry much easier than when I wasn't pregnant.

• What are you looking forward to? I am looking forward to our anatomy scan in less than 3 weeks!!! I can't wait to see the baby again :-)

15 Week Bumpdate

15 weeks! I am happy to have reached this milestone already! This means 25 weeks to go, 1 week until another check-up, and 4 weeks until my anatomy scan!

• How many weeks are you? 15 weeks

• How are you feeling? I have been fighting off a nasty cold for almost 2 weeks now. Pregnancy-wise I am feeling pretty good. I don't feel as tired anymore, but walking for long distances definitely wears me out. I need to get back into a walking schedule. I am still feeling little flutters and kicks, but they have certainly not become consistent yet. I have been feeling more emotional lately and I don't remember that with Maggie's pregnancy. I have started to feel Braxton Hick's again (starting around 14w) and I usually feel a couple everyday. Also, sometimes when I stand/walk I feel like my belly/uterus is heavy or really full.

• What are you looking forward to? I am looking forward to Thanksgiving in a couple of days! Excited to spend time with family and friends.

13 Week Bumpdate

Wow it has been way too long since I have updated! I can't believe I am in the 2nd trimester already. This pregnancy has flown!

After waiting 4 weeks after my first ultrasound I had a 12 week check-up last week. My blood pressure and weight both looked good (I only gained 1 pound). My doctor said the blood work that was taken at my ultrasound all came back normal. I was given a pap smear and a breast exam. Then came the fin part; the doppler! After about 10 seconds, she found the heart beating at 164bpm. I was so excited the hear it again. We scheduled another check-up for the end of November and I was even able to schedule our anatomy scan on December 21st!

• How many weeks are you? 13 weeks / 1 day

• How are you feeling? I cannot believe how lucky I am this pregnancy. The only symptoms I have had within the past few weeks are sore boobs and randoms times of tiredness. Other than that my belly has been growing, but I wouldn't consider it a cute bump just yet. I *think* I have been feeling the baby move, but I can't be sure yet.

• What are you looking forward to? I am looking forward to feeling definite movement. I am also very excited for our anatomy scan which is 6 weeks away :-)

Maggie is TWO!

Our little girl turned TWO a couple weeks ago! We can't believe it! First, I'll start with her doctor's appointment. She weighs 25lbs and is 35" tall (35% for weight & 88% for height). She is still following in her growth curves just fine. She is healthy and developing appropriately.

She climbs everywhere, knows the alphabet, and can count to 10. We are working on colors, shapes, and counting to 20 at the moment. She has a large vocabulary and can say 3-4 word sentences. We can tell she is a smart little girl! She is still a great eater. Not really anything she won't eat...hopefully this doesn't change!

She adores both sets of grandparents, her aunts & uncles, and her cousin, Mason. She loves to go to the park, the zoo, Gymboree class, and to her grandparent's houses. She doesn't love bugs and she's not fond of sharing just yet.

We enjoyed celebrating her birthday with family and friends last weekend. No surprise, the theme of her party was "Frozen." She was spoiled with many gifts and much needed clothes!

8 Week Bumpdate & First Ultrasound!

I can't believe I am already at this point! Time has been flying so far this pregnancy.

We had our first ultrasound on Monday, October 3rd and it went really well. After waiting in the room for what felt like eternity, the doctor and ultrasound tech finally began the scan. They did a transvaginal ultrasound and right away the baby popped up on the screen and man was that a HUGE sign of relief! Maggie said, "Aww, fishy!" when she saw the baby wiggling around. So cute! The quickly checked the heartbeat and it was 182bpm. I wish we could have heard it for longer. Baby measured 8w3d (3 days ahead of schedule!) so that was also a nice surprise.

The doc did change my EDD to May 13th, but since I know when I ovulated I am going to keep my original due date of May 16th for my own records. The only concern was a small pocket of blood in my uterus (a subchorionic hematoma) but my doctor did not seem concerned at all. It will either bleed out or be absorbed by the placenta.

It was a very quick ultrasound, but everything looks great and healthy. My next appointment will be in about 4 weeks where they will check for the heartbeat on the doppler.

• How many weeks are you? 8 weeks / 4 days

• How are you feeling? Last week all day nausea had set in and I was feeling pretty crappy, especially in the mornings, but usually once I ate something I felt better. I have been very hungry! Thankfully, it feels like the nausea is slowly going away at this point. I still have most of my energy which is so surprising! I will take it! 

• Cravings/Aversions: 2 weeks ago I was cravings waffles for dinner. This week I am craving spinach queso dip. Very random! No aversions at this point.

• What are you looking forward to? Right now I am looking forward to telling our families! It feels like we have been keeping this secret for awhile now. We will finally be able to tell them within the next couple weeks!

6 Week Bumpdate & beta update

Wohoo I am still pregnant! Every day I cherish being one step closer to the ultrasound were I will finally be able to see my baby! I hope he/she is doing alright in there!

I meant to update on my betas, but we have been really busy these past couple weeks. Everything looked great and my levels tripled to 49 at 12dpo (they were 15 at 10dpo). My nurse said she did not need me to come in for 3rd betas and went ahead and scheduled my 8 week ultrasound for Monday, October 5th....less than 2 weeks to go!


How many weeks are you? 6 weeks / 1 day

How are you feeling? I am feeling fine, actually. Not real symptoms have hit me yet. Anything that I have felt has come and gone within a couple days. I felt very bloated in my 4th & 5th week, but thankfully that has gone down. Over the weekend I was having lower back pain and nipple tenderness. I am so surprised that I still have so much energy, especially with a toddler running around!

What are you craving? Nothing

What is grossing you out? Nothing

Have you bought/received anything for the baby lately? Nope! Honestly, I haven't had time to think about any of this yet.

Have you / will you found out the sex? Yes, we probably will.

I'm pregnant.....AGAIN!

Surprise! I am pregnant again! What a shock! I can't believe this is actually happening, but here goes.

We were not instructed to take a cycle off after our early loss so we decided not to take a break. Well very surprisingly, 4 weeks after our chemical pregnancy I got another positive pregnancy test!

I found out on Wednesday, September 2nd that I was indeed pregnant again. I was in complete shock since I had gotten a positive so early (I was 3w2d), but thankfully the tests have gotten darker which is a huge sigh of relief. I did go in for a beta blood draw at 10dpo (3w3d) and it came back at a 15 and progesterone was at a 18.3. The nurse was very pleased with those numbers and instructed me to go in for a second beta which I will get the results back in 2 days. The number needs to double in order for the pregnancy to be viable.

I am feeling very optimistic about this pregnancy! My due date will be May 16, 2016 :-)

Chemical Pregnancy....but happy news ahead!

I wasn't sure when I was going to do this update. I didn't want to type out the painful words; we had a very early miscarriage at 4 weeks pregnant.

Not even a day went by were we could fully enjoy this new pregnancy before I started to miscarry. It all happened so fast and far too emotional for a couple to handle, but we got through it.

The night that I got a positive digital test is when I first started spotting (I was 4 weeks exactly). The next day it continued so I rushed to the doctor's office for a beta blood draw. The results came back the next day were negative. My beta was at a 4 (anything under 5 is considered not pregnant), but at that point I was certain that was going to be the outcome.

I had a rough couple of days; I was feeling disappointed in myself and sad for my husband and for my daughter.

But as life goes, time moves on and the next chapter of our lives was about to begin....

I'm Pregnant!

Life has been so good to us since the last time I updated! A wonderful Christmas, fun birthdays, my sister got married, and I just found out that I'm pregnant with baby #2! I couldn't be happier right now!

Maggie is 22 months and she amazes us every day, she is so smart and is SUCH a great at toddler. She has many many words in her vocabulary, knows all the letters, can sing songs, and is as cute as can be! I'm so proud of the little lady she has become. What a fun stage she is in! I can't believe she'll be 2 in less than 2 months! 

Marcus and I decided to start trying for our second baby in March. I had a gut feeling it would take just as long, if not longer, to get pregnant again so we chose to start trying before my sister's wedding. Little did we know that it would take us exactly the same amount of time and we got pregnant within our 4th cycle trying! I found out I was officially pregnant on Monday, August 3rd, 2015 with a positive digital test! Estimated due date is April 12, 2016. My first ultrasound is scheduled for Sept. 9th which I'll be 9 weeks by then. God is so good!

So here comes the fun part....I can start weekly pregnancy updates again! Stay tuned....

Life Update!

Wow it's been way too long since I have actually wrote a post on here. A lot has happened this past year and we are so looking forward to what's in store for us in the future.

Miss Maggie is 13.5 months old now and is growing like a weed! She is so smart and makes us laugh every single day. She walks all over the place and is starting to say a few words. She is about 20lbs and 30" tall. She is very social and we love her dearly. We honestly don't know how we got so lucky!

I am still working part-time (~16 hours a week) and have been so fortunate of the schedule I have. I enjoy the days at home with Maggie and the weekends when Marcus, Maggie, and I can spend quality time together as a family. Thankfully, football season is over for Marcus so he gets home at a more decent time in the evenings.

I have finally decided to make a lifestyle change and lose some weight! I am down 25lbs so far and I hope to lose much more in the next several months. I am eating healthy with the help of Body by Vi shakes along with walking, running, and weight lifting. The winter months are going to be even more of a challenge, but I have confidence that I will keep losing weight. My short term goal is to lose 60lbs total by the time my sister gets married in July of next year...only 35lbs to go!

Because of the wedding coming up we have decided to postpone trying for baby #2 until the summer or possibly even later! When Maggie was born we had the intention to start tying again when she turned 1, but now that that time is here I don't think we would have been ready even if there were no wedding. So the plan is to start talking about TTC #2 in July of next year. If we are both ready then we will go for it, but if not we will hold off. Admittedly, there are times when I feel ready to start trying right now and I wish we didn't have to wait, but most of the time I am perfectly fine with our plan.

Marcus and I are doing great. We celebrated 3 years of marriage this past September. Our marriage has changed since bring Maggie home. Mostly for the better, but not everything. We still have a lot to work and improve on, like all married couples.

That's pretty much it for now! Life has been busy!