Bellastitch

I took Reeve to the doctor today for a weight check.  He weighed in at 7 lbs 10 oz!  Whoohoo!  He was 7 lbs 2 oz at birth, lost 6 oz by Wednesday Aug 6th and gained 2 oz by August 8th.  I really, really made an effort to make sure that my milk supply was up.  I fed and I pumped and I pumped some more.  I *knew* he gained some weight, but I was certainly not expecting him to gain so much!  I am so excited for my not-so-little guy 

In other Reeve related news, his belly button fell out on Monday.  It was so gross.  But I’m glad its not there anymore.  The doc checked and there is still a little piece that’s left in there, so I have to stick to sponge baths for now and washing just his hair.  He is still peeling like crazy, but the doctor says its normal and I don’t have to scrub it off, that it will all just fall off on its own.

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Ayame is doing really well.  She really likes looking at her baby brother.  She gives this high pitch squeak every time he makes a sound.  And she enjoys stroking his hair… although I have to remind her to be gentle about that.

She still refuses to walk without holding on to anything, but she’ll get there.  Yesterday, she managed to get her diaper off and was waving it over her head like a flag when I saw her.  Yikes!  Good thing the diaper was new and still clean and she didn’t pee all over her play pen.

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In stitching news… YES!  There is stitching news.  The kids are actually giving me time to stitch.  :)  I am almost done with my model.  It’s taking me absolutely forever, but Kat has been absolutely understanding about it.  I am so in love with this project.  I cannot wait for it to be released.  I think it will be a popular design. 

Well, that’s it for now.  I still have a lot of unpacking to do.  Take care everyone!

I can’t believe that Reeve is already a week old.  We have been to the pediatrician’s office twice already.  As of last Wednesday, he had lost a total of 6 oz, but gained 2 oz by Friday.  He is also out of the critical period for jaundice.  He is eating well and often and is letting me get some sleep most nights.

Ayame is a very curious big sister.  DH got the cutest video of her touching Reeve while he was on the swing.  She would touch and make this high pitch squeak and start giggling.  Very adorable.

Saturday was a beautiful day.  DH took Ayame outside and put her down on the grass.  She was so grossed out by it.  It was absolutely hysterical.  She didn’t even want to move.  She got used to it after a while and actually enjoyed it.

I really wanted to write all the details down before I forget them. DH reminded me about a detail I left out. I was having some BH contractions on and off on Saturday. They didn’t hurt and were so far apart that I didn’t think they were signs of labor.

Anyway, they gave me percoset for the pain. It HELPED A LOT. After I get settled in my room, I tell T that he should go home and get some rest. The hospital had a lovely *rolls eyes* cot in the room for him, but that was just unacceptable. No one should ever have to sleep on one of those things. They’re uncomfortable to sit on. I can’t imagine sleeping on them. After T leaves, a nurse comes to check on me. She presses on my belly and she has this worried look on her face. She says she wants to call in another nurse to get a second opinion. Nurse #2 comes in and presses on my belly. They ask if I need to pee. I didn’t really feel like peeing, but I thought might as well do it now while I have people helping me get in and out of bed. I pee and I feel this blob come out. I tell them right away and they check the toilet. I get back in bed and they start pressing again. They decide that they need to hook me up to a bag of Pitocin to help my uterus settle.

I woke up again around 6 and I had to pee. I pull on the string to call a nurse to help me and I apparently pulled the emergency string, not the regular, call a nurse button. Oops. The nurse helps me out and more clots come out, tho nothing as freaky as the first time I peed.

T comes by and spends the day with me. Later in the afternoon, he went home to get my mom and Ayame so they can visit me. The day went pretty slow. The pediatrician checked out Reeve, a doc checked me out. The bleeding slowed down a lot and it wasn’t a concern anymore and they took the needle out of my arm. I was finally allowed to shower that night and I felt so much better.

I finally saw my OBGYN on Tuesday. She said that my CBC results came back and I lost sooo much blood. The results were 10 points less than the CBC they had on record. I’m not sure what the unit of measure is for CBC but 10 is apparently a lot to lose. I now have to start taking a double dose of my iron tablets for a month.

The stitches are driving me insane. Its really weird. With Ayame, I had at least 6 stitches (that I remember) but I was up and about and moving around without any issues. I get 2 stitches and I can’t sit comfortably and I have trouble walking. Other than that, I am feeling much better. It is so good to be home.

Thank you everyone for all your comments. I added more pics to my gallery. This one is my favorite so far.

Name: Reeve William

DOB: August 3, 2008

TOB: 1:59 am

Weight: 7 lbs 2 oz

Length: 20 inches

Thanks for all the comments everyone!  I’m still tired.  I’ll post more later.  Take care!

Master Blaster run Barter Town!

Saturday, August 2nd at around 11:30 pm I had what I thought was another Braxton Hicks contraction. At around 11:35, I had another. 10 minutes later, I had a painful contraction. And another one 5 minutes later. After that, we decided it was time to call the doctor. I was told to go to the hospital NOW. I continued to have contractions every 5 minutes and they all HURT.

We got to the hospital around 12:45. DH pulls up to the ER entrance and runs inside. Some bitch inside told him to just walk me up to the 2nd floor. Doesn’t offer to get us a wheelchair or anything. So he comes and gets me and I sit in the waiting area. The security guard sees us and tells us to just grab one of the wheelchairs and told us to use the back elevators.

So we got to the labor and delivery area and I get changed in my room and they hook me up to machines. I’m a little bit nervous because I wasn’t sure if this was going to be a fast delivery or not. I knew I could handle the pain, but I didn’t know if I could handle prolonged pain. The nurse checks me and I was “5-6 cm dilated with a bulging bag”. I get told that my doctor was not going to be the one in the delivery room with me. I freak out a little. I didn’t want some stranger in there, doing things to me that I don’t want them doing.

The nurse (M) asked if I wanted epidural and I said NO. I don’t want anything on my back. I would like Nubain if I can have it though. Then the 2nd nurse (we’ll call her B because she was a bitch) came in and asked if I wanted epi. M told her that I didn’t want anything on my back. T asks them what percentage of women get epi and they said 99%. Although I wasn’t sure if I could handle prolonged pain, I knew I would freak out if someone was poking at my back. B hooks me up to an IV and it freaking hurt. If that hurt, I’m sure the epi would be worse. I know its insane to not want to endure the pain of a needle, but be okay with the pain of childbirth, but that’s me.

Dr. T arrives and checks me out. She asked the nurses if she had time to change into a gown and they said yes. I keep rolling on my left side to get comfy but M tells me that I have to be on my back so they can monitor Master Blaster. M checks me again and she yells out that I am fully dilated and my cervix is gone. The pain is now extremely intense and I go into full on mommy zone. M gives me an oxygen mask and I close my eyes and try my best to relax and focus on my breathing.

This paragraph has way too much information so don’t read if you’re a sissy.

They tell me that its time to deliver the baby. The press a bunch of buttons and the bottom of the bed drops and I scoot down and get ready. Dr. T pops the bag and I feel everything gush out. They tell me to start pushing and I enter a totally different plane of existence. Its like everyone else disappeared and its just me and the baby. I push and push and it was freaky. I could feel EVERYTHING. I could feel myself stretching. I could feel MB’s face. I could feel his body moving inside me. At one point I thought I felt the doctor cut me and I wanted to yell out and tell her not to cut, but I didn’t have the energy to spare to yell at her. I push some more and I feel the head pop out. I take a super short break and I start pushing again. I could feel his shoulders moving and twisting. At 1:59 am, after a second push, he was out. M lays him on me and he’s all mucus-y and squishy. They take him away after a few seconds and Dr. T tells me that I need to push again to get the placenta out. I start pushing again and I just feel all bloody and sticky. I feel a puddle of blood all over my left foot. It was so gross. They get the placenta out and they start pressing on my belly. I love this part (that’s sarcasm, in case you can’t tell). It fucking hurt. There is nothing pleasant about this experience at all. They say its necessary to get all the blood clots out. I didn’t need an episiotomy, but I did tear a little.  Dr. T says I need 2 stitches.  M helps me to the bathroom so I could pee and more blood comes out. I’m exhausted and I just want to rest.

Post to be continued coz I’m dead tired.  See you tomorrow.

Just wanted to write something quick.  I’m still pregnant.  We’re all moved in.  And by all moved in I mean the stuff we own are inside the house.  The house is a mess, but we are going to take our sweet time to clean everything and unpack slowly.

Happy weekend everyone!

I saw my OBGYN today. She said that although I am not yet dilated, my cervix is thin enough that she can stretch me out a little. She thinks that Master Blaster will arrive this weekend! Yikes!

I had T take belly pics. The ones on the left are from last week and the ones on the right were taken a few minutes ago.

He just needs to stay put for a few more days. Thursday is moving day!

I’m still pregnant. This pic was taken on July 20. I love the shirt that T picked out for me. I accidentally ordered a large… should have stuck to a small. The shirt is very long and stretchy. I’ll keep wearing it anyway coz its cute.

Went to the doctor yesterday for my weekly check-up. I gained 2 lbs since the 7/11, which made my doc happy. Blood pressure was okay and the baby’s heart rate was on the 140s. She said the baby is in position, but I haven’t had any contractions so if he doesn’t come out this week, I see my doctor again next Tuesday.

He still does not have a name.  I had some names picked out, but they just don’t sound right.  Naming boys is hard!  Boy names are so boring.

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We have evidence of the sippy cup use!

She has even deemed the red and blue sippy cups worthy of being used!  :)  That’s a very good thing since Walgreens was out of the pink and lavender cups.  LOL.

Grandma is here and Ayame has her wrapped around her finger, and she knows it.  She is now doing the “I’m going to cry and cry because I know Grandma will come get me if I keep crying” routine.

Not to long ago, we decided to try Bagels by Us in Arlington.  YUMMY!  I love, love, love their bacon, egg and cheese bagel sandwiches.  The eggs are cooked right and the bacon is always crispy.  Their signs say, “featuring H&H Bagels” so I asked the lady at the take out counter if they use the H& H recipe.  She said that the bagels are boiled in NYC and delivered daily to them.  They just bake and serve.  These bagels are to die for.

I’m so glad to have access to H&H Bagels again.  When I was still working in the upper west side, I was a block away from work and I would grab a bagel with butter there and my coffee from another place (I am picky about my coffee).

Anyway, try them out if you’re in the area.  They are open everyday until 2 pm.  They are at the corner of Mass Ave and Mill St.

Ayame is now drinking out of her sippy cup with less fuss! She even lets us watch her drink now. Yay big girl! The only issue is she will only drink out of the pink Nuby cup. She doesn’t like any of the other cups I got. Anyway, I was at Walgreens early today to pick up some iron supplements when I saw a pack of 1 pink and 1 lavender Nuby cup look-a-like (brand is Wagi) for $3.00! What a deal! I bought a pack and immediately washed the pink one as soon as I got home. Guess what? Baby now drinks from the pink Wagi cup. Yay! So I’m thinking the Nuby cup will be for milk, the pink Wagi cup will be for juice and the lavender one will be for water. She has a blue cup and a red cup that look similar to the Nuby, but she won’t even go near those. Baby just likes pink.

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I will see my doctor on Tuesday instead of today. Its tough having just one car. T has to be at work today, but he will be working from home on Tuesday. Good thing the doctor was flexible and understood. She did tell me that my bloodwork came back and I am slightly anemic. I have to take iron supplements and eat more red meat. Its time for some steak!

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My mom will arrive on Monday morning.  So I just need to stay pregnant until Tuesday, the 22nd and everything will be fine.  Please, please MB, don’t try to come out until Grandma gets here.

I’m getting another chocolate cake craving.  I’m also craving salty things.  All I want to eat are chips and cherry Coke.  I’m sure that’s healthy!  ;)  The hip pains are still there when I try to get out of bed, but they are not bad.  I definitely do not miss the regular Charlie Horse I used to get when I was pregnant with Ayame.  Those were horrible.  I guess the only thing that’s really bothering me with this pregnancy is the memory loss.  It is just beyond ridiculous now.  I forget things I shouldn’t forget.  I’m forgetting so much I’m starting to annoy myself.  I hope all brain functions return to normal as soon as I give birth.