Baby Girl Summit

We had some fun visitors this week. Our friends, Aaron and Calder, were in town from Asheville. They brought along with them their darling daughter, Louisa, who was born in December. We were thrilled to see them and meet Louisa. They stayed the weekend with Mike and Carrie who are expecting a baby girl at the end of August. It is such great fun to see them and talk about all three of us having girls in one year! Layla slept in Carrie's lap throughout the whole visit.

Layla's First Big Weekend

Here is a picture of Layla in her favorite pose, which we call "the sunbather". She does this when we unwrap her from her swaddling. Most of the time she prefers to be stretched out like this.

Saturday - We went to the Farmer's Market to pick up our CSA box, then to the bank and
to Whole Foods. It was a beautiful day followed by a terrific evening. We went on another walk before dinner.

Sunday - Jason's birthday! Saturday night was pretty rough, Layla did not want to sleep anywhere except on my chest, this made for a very long night for me. Once daytime came she was a perfect angel and Jason took care of her while I slept for a few solid hours. While Jason got out today to his baseball game, Layla and I went out to get birthday cards and a little something for Jason to open on his birthday. Layla insisted on getting him fantasy football magazines at Barnes and Noble. She really wants him to win this year!

Jason grilled steak for dinner and we all went to bed at 9:30. Our little angel slept (in her crib) until 1 before she woke to eat. Then until 3, 5, and 7 every time going back in her crib. This feels like a huge victory and I got a good amount of sleep last night! We will probably revert to sleeping on Mom tonight :).

Layla on Friday

Our first visit to the pediatrician. Layla is doing well and is nearly back up to her birth weight (7 pounds, 10 ounces). The doctor is please with her progress. Layla did challenge all of our efforts to be prepared parents, however. I fed her right before we left (thinking that would buy an hour or two) and changed her dirty diaper too. The nurse took her diaper off to weight her - it was dirty. Then she acted liked a starved child throughout the check up and, yup, pooped again! The second time, through the diaper and onto her clothes (first time she ever did that!). This was all to make sure that Mommy and Daddy know how to properly pack the diaper bag for outings. Two diapers and a new outfit in less than 45 minutes and we sat in the doctors office and fed her again. The doctor said she should poop at least once every couple of days. Ha ha, we said, clearly that is not a problem.

For lunch on Friday, "Uncle" Kevin came out on the train to visit. We met him at the train station and headed to Trax (our neighborhood bar and grill) for lunch. Ahhhh, cheeseburgers. Oh, and I had the first beer I've had since October. Yum. Nap time for everyone.

Layla on Thursday

Layla would be considered cosmopolitan if we lived in the city. Well, that might be an overstatement, but she is getting out.

Auntie Allie would be proud, our first trip out of the house was to Walgreens. Surely, Jason could and would have gone on his own for milk and batteries, but I really wanted to get outside and there seemed no reason not to. Layla enjoyed the first trip out in her stroller. She slept most of the time - when not appreciating her local Walgreens, that is.

Thursday evening Jason's mother visited and then Layla got her first bath! She had been sleeping for a long time and we figured this would help wake her up, so that she wouldn't be awake all night. Then she got cold and we swaddled her up snug as a bug, she fell right back asleep in Jason's lap.

Labor Story

Contractions began on Saturday morning about 3:30 a.m. and went on for a few hours. I thought it was time! Then they slowed down and I finally fell back to sleep. I had contractions throughout the day and tried to relax and sleep. Around 6 p.m. they started getting serious and we starting keeping track of the timing. At this time they were 15 mins. apart and grew stronger and closer together so we knew it was the real thing this time. From 11-1 the contractions were about 6 mins. apart and then went to about 4 mins. apart.

We called the doctor and he told us to come into the hospital (after he asked if the contractions were merely uncomfortable or actually painful). He was there when we arrived, and checked us in at 4 cm dilation. He broke the water, since it was "bulging". I think they like to do this in a controlled setting so they can see the amniotic fluid (and it doesn't make a big mess on the floor). The amniotic fluid had meconium in it (this means that the baby pooped), and can be cause for concern. They told us they would have the pediatrician on call there when we delivered in case of problems. If she didn't cry right away the pediatrician would need to take her and Jason would not be able to cut the cord.

At the time we were admitted to the hospital it was nearly 2:30 and labor progressed quickly from there. It had been our "birth plan" to proceed through labor with as few interventions as possible. I was in a lot of pain and the nurse put an IV in which would be needed if I had an epidural or any narcotics. I chose to have the narcotic (I don't know what drug exactly) which apparently ranges widely in its effectiveness. I think it did take the edge off for a while, but couldn't have been considered much more than that, it mostly made me feel kind of dizzy and goofy.

At 4:30 I told the nurse that I would need help in the form of more pain relief. She wanted to check my progress and I was almost 7 cm. She said at the rate that I was progressing, she could either call the doctor or the anesthesiologist. Since both were at home, it would be awhile before I could get an epidural and it might be too late to get it. We knew this going in - they told us to expect the 30-45 minutes if we requested an epidural. So, I told her to just call the doctor - I guess he had probably just gotten home and would have to come right back.

It was another hour and a half before he came into the room and we were ready to start pushing at about 6:15. The time in between was crazy - the contractions were coming right on top of each other and were incredibly painful. Jason was an amazing coach and very patient in helping me breath through the pain.

Most people told me that I would not use the lamaze breathing techniques. To me, the breathing exercises seemed very similar to yoga and pilates and, therefore, came pretty naturally to me. Let's just say you have to breathe and try to control your breathing as much as possible to work through the contractions. Otherwise you are just holding your breath and tensing your muscles which makes the pain worse. At least that's how it was for me.

The nurse asked me to tell her when I felt like pushing and also told me that she was listening for my breathing to tell her when I was ready. She stayed in the room with us and was very encouraging and supportive. Once it was time to push I was relieved. Although, it is seriously painful, it is at least productive time. At that point I didn't have to sit and breathe (and occasionally scream), I could actively work in getting the baby out.

Like the rest of our labor process, the pushing went pretty quickly - it was only about 25 minutes and she was out. I have never seen anything so amazing in my life, I don't think I will ever forget that moment I first saw her. Layla cried right away and Jason was happy to cut the umbilical cord. She had to get some suction to make sure that the amniotic fluid was not in her lungs and tummy. The pediatrician checked her and said that there was no concern with the fluid, the baby was just fine. We were, of course, relieved to hear that.

They wiped her up and put her on my chest with Jason and my hands on her so we could bond right away. She was so beautiful and perfect and I have never been so happy in my life as I was at that moment. The whole experience was absolutely thrilling and a true miracle to witness.

Layla Ruth DeBaker

Layla is here! She arrived on Sunday morning, right on her due date, at 6:43 A.M.. She weighed in at 7 pounds, 14 oz. and was 21" long. We were absolutely thrilled to see our beautiful girl! She is healthy and passed all her hospital tests. The three of us are back at home and getting settled. Layla is sleeping and feeding sporadically and we are resting as much as possible. It is nice to be home!

My Green Thumb

I thought you might like to see where the Shirley and the balcony babes are at. Check out my green thumb!

Lightening

Lightening is when the baby "drops" but I have not figured out why it is called this. I do not feel lighter although the baby has certainly dropped some this week. I am thankful for carrying to high throughout my pregnancy. We saw the doctor this morning and I can now have a pelvic exam without, as Jason calls it, "being assaulted". Still 2 cm.....no progress since Monday.

Our primary OB, Dr. K, is now on vacation for a week (figures). But we saw Dr. B today and will see him again Monday and then next Friday. Dr. B will check our fluid levels and put us on the monitor again on Monday. If she still doesn't come Dr. K will induce on the 27th. By the way, I am not using the doctor's full names, but they actually refer to each other this way, so it seems appropriate.

The changing table arrived at long last, has been assembled, and we have seen the new Harry Potter movie. These are the last two things I really wanted to do before she got here, so I told her it's cool to come whenever. That's the baby news for now..........

False Labor

So we saw the doctor last night and I was making progress (and so proud of myself) and the contractions were getting closer and more intense (so exciting!). And then at about 10:30 the contractions just stopped. What a tease! I really thought we might be back at the hospital last night. Nope, I am back at work today, unwrapping some of the ends I tied up yesterday. Maybe I will get to see Harry Potter after all!

Baby Update

We visited the doctor this evening and have only good news to report. The fluid levels are way up, and the doctor was very pleased. I have been having contractions since about lunch time, so maybe the baby thinks it's time to come out anyway. I am 2cm dilated, so we are making progress and we will just have to wait to see if the contractions continue to increase tonight. I just went on a walk while Jason made dinner and we are going to settle in for a little home run derby action!

Baby Update

Yesterday was our weekly visit to the doctor. The baby is looking and sounding healthy, which is good. She has been moving around less this week so the doctor wanted to take a closer look at her. We got hooked up to the fetal monitor for about half an hour and then had an ultrasound. As a side note: the straps for the monitors are pink and blue. Are you kidding me? Must everything regarding babies be pastel? First of all the baby never sees the stupid straps. Secondly, they can't see the difference between the colors anyway. Lastly, I bet it actually costs more than just making the straps white. I am not saying that this is the sole cause of rising health care costs, but it certainly can't help.

The monitors show her heart rate and also measures contractions. She was pretty steady and the doctor decides to "zap" her to wake her up and get her moving around. She does this with a little mechanism that most closely looked and felt like a hair trimmer. The baby kicked at it hard, it was kind of funny, but I guess what the doctor wanted! The ultrasound was pretty neat as we hadn't seen her since our 20 week appt. in March and, of course, she is relatively huge. The ultrasound showed that the level of amniotic fluid is on the low side of normal; the baby is really packed in there like a sardine (at least that's what it looked like to me).

The doctor said everything is normal but she wants to keep a closer eye on us so we will be back in her office on Monday to get checked again. If the fluid levels are lower she will want to induce and we would likely deliver on Tuesday (depending on current dilation, etc. etc.)

We are not crazy about interventions and medications overall, but will, of course, trust the doctor's advice if she feels it is medically necessary to get labor going and get the baby out into the world. In the meantime, she could still decide to join us at any time and we are ready! Well, as ready as we think we can be..........

Heartburn

Today we ate lunch today at Chipotle, one of my very favorite "fast food" places. Jason argues this is fast food and I think it is reasonably healthy but that is not the point. So I had my usual chicken bol - it's rice, beans, chicken, tomatoes (mild salsa), sour cream and lettuce - and I love it. However, since lunch I have been feeling like acid is climbing from my chest up through my throat. Gross. I am not sure I can eat ever again, much less something with flavor. I realize that this is a normal side effect of pregnancy and I should thank my lucky stars that I didn't know what heartburn felt like until now. So, I am thankful and I have a new sympathy for those that get this often, because it really is unpleasant.

This is heartburn, right?

Belly Update

Jason took me to one of my favorite places to eat for my birthday dinner. They make these pizza pot pies that are to die for. I think this is the first time we have been there and didn't have to wait for an hour for a table. I guess that's the wonder of eating at 5 on a Tuesday. Here's a pic of me, thought you might like to see where my belly is at.

We saw the doctor this morning, no new news. With all the science in the world they can't tell you when your baby is going to want to come out and so far she is staying put. We enjoyed the rest of our day off by doing household projects and making chocolate chip cookies. YUM!

We are off to see the fireworks tonight - Illinois does them on the third. I think it's weird but I guess the fireworks people then head off to other states that celebrate on the actual fourth. Daley probably gets a kickback from those guys. Brilliant Illinois politics in action.