| Davis likes to sleep. A lot. He especially likes to sleep when we want him to wake up and to wake up when we want him to sleep. Go figure. |
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Saturday, March 26, 2011
Zonked Out
Friday, March 25, 2011
A Baby Story
When I was in college, my roommates and I used to watch the show A Baby Story on TLC every day. Now I have my own baby store to share.
Once we had scheduled the C-section for Davis, it was very surreal knowing how soon we would be meeting him. Even after nine months of pregnancy, it was hard for me to imagine that I was really and truly going to have a baby when all was said and done. People had been asking me for weeks if I had packed my hospital bag and were appalled when I said no. Well, I finally did pack my hospital bag . . . right before we left for the hospital on March 16 to have Davis!
We arrived in the childbirth center at 8 a.m. for prep, and the first two people we saw at the nurse's station were familiar faces - the nurse who taught our labor and delivery class and the nurse who taught our Cesearean preparation class. It was nice to be welcomed by people who already knew me and it did make me feel more comfortable knowing that Sarah (who taught our L&D class) would be my RN for the day.
Looking back, that whole day is kind of a blur. After being checked in and weighed, we got settled in an enormous labor and delivery room and did paperwork, got my IV, spoke with the anesthesiologist and my doctor, and all that fun stuff. (Edited to add: We also found out that baby had moved again and was in a more oblique/transverse position, so no longer head-down . . . probably a good thing we had opted for a C-section.) It was after 10 when they wheeled me down the hall to the operating room.
The worst part was definitely the spinal block. They had a little bit of a hard time placing it correctly, and it HURT -- a LOT! At this point I was freaking out a little bit inside about what was going to happen. I was worried about whether I was really and truly going to be numb and was trying not to think about the fact that they were going to cut me open in a few minutes as they got me arranged on the table and draped for the surgery. It helped a little once Greg was able to join me and sit by my head, so I could look back at him and talk to him as he stroked my head and I tried to ignore the odd pulling and tugging sensations on the other side of the curtain.
And just like that, before I knew it, Davis was born! As he came out, Dr. Fenoughty made a surprised comment about how big he was and remarked that he looked just like his daddy. It was a boy! My worries weren't over yet. I really wanted to hear my baby cry and be able to see him. They whisked him over to the warmer to work on him and I heard his first feeble cries. Greg was able to see him and take pictures while I was being sewn back up. They weighed him and he was a whopping 9 pounds 15.7 ounces! This was funny because, while waiting for the operation, Greg had guessed that the baby would be just under 10 lbs, 9 lbs 15 oz, and he was so right! I got only a quick glimpse as they brought the baby to my head to show him to me before taking him to the nursery for observation because he was having some trouble breathing.
I was worried about my baby, and I was worried about myself as I started to feel a lot of chest pressure and some labored breathing. The anesthesiologist's assistant assured me that what I was feeling was normal and fine, and I sent Greg off to the nursery to check on our little boy.
Back in our room, Greg assured me that the baby was doing fine. He had swallowed some meconium and had some fluid in his lungs, and his glucose level was a bit low, but nothing major. We made some phone calls to our family to let them know that the baby had arrived safely. The nurse finally brought our baby in to us around 12:30 p.m., two hours after birth, and I was able to hold him and stare in awe at this amazing little creature who had been growing inside me for so long.
When we arrived at the hospital, we still had not settled on a name for a baby boy. Davis was a name that had been on our list for years, and as we got to know our little man, Greg suggested that we name him Davis Reid. Reid was a name we had talked about as a first name, but hadn't been one of our possible middle names for Davis until Greg said it - then we knew that it was the right name for our sweet guy.
I can't believe that it's been almost a week since we brought Davis home last Saturday after our postpartum hospital stay. He is such an amazing miracle and we can't imagine life without him!
Once we had scheduled the C-section for Davis, it was very surreal knowing how soon we would be meeting him. Even after nine months of pregnancy, it was hard for me to imagine that I was really and truly going to have a baby when all was said and done. People had been asking me for weeks if I had packed my hospital bag and were appalled when I said no. Well, I finally did pack my hospital bag . . . right before we left for the hospital on March 16 to have Davis!
We arrived in the childbirth center at 8 a.m. for prep, and the first two people we saw at the nurse's station were familiar faces - the nurse who taught our labor and delivery class and the nurse who taught our Cesearean preparation class. It was nice to be welcomed by people who already knew me and it did make me feel more comfortable knowing that Sarah (who taught our L&D class) would be my RN for the day.
Looking back, that whole day is kind of a blur. After being checked in and weighed, we got settled in an enormous labor and delivery room and did paperwork, got my IV, spoke with the anesthesiologist and my doctor, and all that fun stuff. (Edited to add: We also found out that baby had moved again and was in a more oblique/transverse position, so no longer head-down . . . probably a good thing we had opted for a C-section.) It was after 10 when they wheeled me down the hall to the operating room.
The worst part was definitely the spinal block. They had a little bit of a hard time placing it correctly, and it HURT -- a LOT! At this point I was freaking out a little bit inside about what was going to happen. I was worried about whether I was really and truly going to be numb and was trying not to think about the fact that they were going to cut me open in a few minutes as they got me arranged on the table and draped for the surgery. It helped a little once Greg was able to join me and sit by my head, so I could look back at him and talk to him as he stroked my head and I tried to ignore the odd pulling and tugging sensations on the other side of the curtain.
And just like that, before I knew it, Davis was born! As he came out, Dr. Fenoughty made a surprised comment about how big he was and remarked that he looked just like his daddy. It was a boy! My worries weren't over yet. I really wanted to hear my baby cry and be able to see him. They whisked him over to the warmer to work on him and I heard his first feeble cries. Greg was able to see him and take pictures while I was being sewn back up. They weighed him and he was a whopping 9 pounds 15.7 ounces! This was funny because, while waiting for the operation, Greg had guessed that the baby would be just under 10 lbs, 9 lbs 15 oz, and he was so right! I got only a quick glimpse as they brought the baby to my head to show him to me before taking him to the nursery for observation because he was having some trouble breathing.
I was worried about my baby, and I was worried about myself as I started to feel a lot of chest pressure and some labored breathing. The anesthesiologist's assistant assured me that what I was feeling was normal and fine, and I sent Greg off to the nursery to check on our little boy.
Back in our room, Greg assured me that the baby was doing fine. He had swallowed some meconium and had some fluid in his lungs, and his glucose level was a bit low, but nothing major. We made some phone calls to our family to let them know that the baby had arrived safely. The nurse finally brought our baby in to us around 12:30 p.m., two hours after birth, and I was able to hold him and stare in awe at this amazing little creature who had been growing inside me for so long.
When we arrived at the hospital, we still had not settled on a name for a baby boy. Davis was a name that had been on our list for years, and as we got to know our little man, Greg suggested that we name him Davis Reid. Reid was a name we had talked about as a first name, but hadn't been one of our possible middle names for Davis until Greg said it - then we knew that it was the right name for our sweet guy.
I can't believe that it's been almost a week since we brought Davis home last Saturday after our postpartum hospital stay. He is such an amazing miracle and we can't imagine life without him!
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| From Loving the Life We Live |
Monday, March 21, 2011
Welcome Home, Davis
We brought Davis home from the hospital on Saturday and have been adjusting to life as a family of three. Having a newborn is HARD, but today I'm starting to feel more confident that things will come together and life will eventually seem normal again (and maybe at some point I'll have time to update this blog and post more pictures). Davis is an adorable, precious gift from God and we are so incredibly blessed to be his parents.      |
| From Loving the Life We Live |
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Welcome, Davis Reid Mueller!
Davis Reid Mueller was born via Cesarean section on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 10:34 a.m., weighing in at 10 pounds (9 lbs. 15.7 oz, which is rounded up to an official weight of 10 lbs. 0 oz.) and measuring 21.5 inches long.
Greg and I are both so in love with our precious big boy. At some point, I'll write the birth story and give more details, but with a one-day-old baby, blogging becomes a low priority. :) In the meantime, enjoy this slideshow of pictures from our son's first two days of life.
Greg and I are both so in love with our precious big boy. At some point, I'll write the birth story and give more details, but with a one-day-old baby, blogging becomes a low priority. :) In the meantime, enjoy this slideshow of pictures from our son's first two days of life.
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| From Loving the Life We Live |
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
This Is It
This is it.
Tomorrow is the big day.
The time until we meet our son or daughter is now measured in hours instead of in days, weeks, or months.
I can not believe that the time has come and that this pregnancy has come to a close.
My next post here will introduce you to our beloved, much-anticipated bundle of joy.
This is it.
Can you believe it?
Because I think I am in a state of denial. :)
Tomorrow is the big day.
The time until we meet our son or daughter is now measured in hours instead of in days, weeks, or months.
I can not believe that the time has come and that this pregnancy has come to a close.
My next post here will introduce you to our beloved, much-anticipated bundle of joy.
This is it.
Can you believe it?
Because I think I am in a state of denial. :)
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| From Loving the Life We Live |
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Good for a Laugh
So Greg and I tried one of those online baby morpher sites where you upload pictures of yourselves and see what your baby will supposedly look like. Feel like a good laugh?  |
| From Loving the Life We Live |
Friday, March 11, 2011
March 16
On March 16, 1952, my grandparents (my dad's parents) were married.
On March 16, 1974, Greg's Aunt Patty (his dad's sister) and Uncle Bob were married.
On March 16, 2004, Greg's (and now my) nephew Jack was born - his parents' first grandchild.
On March 16, 2010, Greg landed in Ireland to begin his six-month adventure living abroad.
On March 16, 2011, our baby will be born (well, provided he/she doesn't decide to make an early appearance).
This past Wednesday, we went to the doctor and had an ultrasound to check on the baby's position and size. Our baby was turned into the head-down position - hooray! - and lying on its left side. Good job, Baby Mueller, on turning head-down!! The ultrasound technician commented again, as she did at the 33 week ultrasound, about how much hair our baby has. I'm beginning to think that we'll be able to ponytail this child's hair immediately after birth. Either that or we are expecting a baby monkey. :) The fluid level was fine and everything seemed normal for the baby. Baby's heartrate was 128 and everything seemed to measure within one day of the due date. It's always awesome to hear that all is well. We also got a bonus 4D photo of our baby's face (which, unfortunately, I can't post here because there is a new scanner at work and it is apparently not operational yet).
After taking all the measurements, the technician gave us our baby's estimated weight, which was . . .
(DRUMROLL, PLEASE) . . .
9 pounds 7 ounces
Sounds like a big, strong, healthy baby to me!
Now it was time for a discussion with my doctor, who presented us with the facts but (unfortunately) would not tell me what to do. Of course the ultrasound has a margin of error which could go either way. We might have an 8 pound 4 ounce baby, or we might have a 10 pound 10 ounce baby, or anything in between. You just never know for sure until the baby is out. We could decide to wait until I go into labor naturally and do a trial of labor, which might end up in a successful vaginal birth or might end up in an emergency C-section. We could decide to induce labor in hopes that the baby wouldn't continue to get even larger and do a trial of labor. Or we could choose a C-section.
Ah, the first of what I know will be many hard decisions that we will have to make as parents. :(
Although it isn't what I have always hoped for the birth of our child, Greg and I ultimately decided that a scheduled C-section would be the safest option, just because there are so many unknowns with attempting a vaginal delivery. A vaginal delivery would require an episiotomy or tear for sure (and a fourth degree tear or episiotomy would not be cool). The fact that our baby has changed position so much (breech, sideways, now head down) in the past few weeks would be a red flag to our doctor that the baby might not be able to engage in the pelvis the way it should, even if she had no idea of the projected size of our baby. Apparently I also don't have a very big pelvic outlet. Everything could be fine, or there could be a risk for me, or there could be a risk for the baby in terms of shoulder dystocia, a broken collarbone, or even worse birth trauma.
A C-section carries risks - more risks than a normal vaginal delivery - but at least we know what those risks are and know the risks are low, whereas the risks of a vaginal delivery in this circumstance are unknown.
We decided to choose the known risks over the unknown risks. As my doctor said, whatever you decide, you will never know what it would have been like to make the other choice, so you have to do what your gut tells you is best for the baby and make peace with whatever that choice is. After we made our decision, I could tell that we were on the same page as Dr. Fenoughty, and she admitted that she was pessimistic about my chances at having a safe, successful vaginal delivery, although she would not have prevented me from attempting it if I wanted to.
Wednesday, March 16 was chosen as the date. Whenever I tell someone this, they want to know why it isn't the 17th (Saint Patrick's Day). :) Wednesday is Dr. F's regular day at the hospital, so scheduling on that day would give us our pick of when we wanted the surgery to be done, while scheduling it on Thursday would have meant that we would have to work around what the hospital had available. While a St. Patrick's Day baby sounds really neat, seeing as this baby came home with me from Ireland, the 16th also holds significance for us, as you can see from the beginning of this post.
The C-section is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Wednesday. That is so SOON! I can not believe that there are just a few days left before we meeet our baby. I'm nervous about the surgery, but I feel confident that we are making a good choice for our baby and I'm hoping and praying that all goes well. As long as the birth results in a safe, healthy baby and a safe, healthy mom, that's all that ultimately matters!
We are so excited to meet our new son or daughter, and to introduce him or her to you!
On March 16, 1974, Greg's Aunt Patty (his dad's sister) and Uncle Bob were married.
On March 16, 2004, Greg's (and now my) nephew Jack was born - his parents' first grandchild.
On March 16, 2010, Greg landed in Ireland to begin his six-month adventure living abroad.
On March 16, 2011, our baby will be born (well, provided he/she doesn't decide to make an early appearance).
This past Wednesday, we went to the doctor and had an ultrasound to check on the baby's position and size. Our baby was turned into the head-down position - hooray! - and lying on its left side. Good job, Baby Mueller, on turning head-down!! The ultrasound technician commented again, as she did at the 33 week ultrasound, about how much hair our baby has. I'm beginning to think that we'll be able to ponytail this child's hair immediately after birth. Either that or we are expecting a baby monkey. :) The fluid level was fine and everything seemed normal for the baby. Baby's heartrate was 128 and everything seemed to measure within one day of the due date. It's always awesome to hear that all is well. We also got a bonus 4D photo of our baby's face (which, unfortunately, I can't post here because there is a new scanner at work and it is apparently not operational yet).
After taking all the measurements, the technician gave us our baby's estimated weight, which was . . .
(DRUMROLL, PLEASE) . . .
9 pounds 7 ounces
Sounds like a big, strong, healthy baby to me!
Now it was time for a discussion with my doctor, who presented us with the facts but (unfortunately) would not tell me what to do. Of course the ultrasound has a margin of error which could go either way. We might have an 8 pound 4 ounce baby, or we might have a 10 pound 10 ounce baby, or anything in between. You just never know for sure until the baby is out. We could decide to wait until I go into labor naturally and do a trial of labor, which might end up in a successful vaginal birth or might end up in an emergency C-section. We could decide to induce labor in hopes that the baby wouldn't continue to get even larger and do a trial of labor. Or we could choose a C-section.
Ah, the first of what I know will be many hard decisions that we will have to make as parents. :(
Although it isn't what I have always hoped for the birth of our child, Greg and I ultimately decided that a scheduled C-section would be the safest option, just because there are so many unknowns with attempting a vaginal delivery. A vaginal delivery would require an episiotomy or tear for sure (and a fourth degree tear or episiotomy would not be cool). The fact that our baby has changed position so much (breech, sideways, now head down) in the past few weeks would be a red flag to our doctor that the baby might not be able to engage in the pelvis the way it should, even if she had no idea of the projected size of our baby. Apparently I also don't have a very big pelvic outlet. Everything could be fine, or there could be a risk for me, or there could be a risk for the baby in terms of shoulder dystocia, a broken collarbone, or even worse birth trauma.
A C-section carries risks - more risks than a normal vaginal delivery - but at least we know what those risks are and know the risks are low, whereas the risks of a vaginal delivery in this circumstance are unknown.
We decided to choose the known risks over the unknown risks. As my doctor said, whatever you decide, you will never know what it would have been like to make the other choice, so you have to do what your gut tells you is best for the baby and make peace with whatever that choice is. After we made our decision, I could tell that we were on the same page as Dr. Fenoughty, and she admitted that she was pessimistic about my chances at having a safe, successful vaginal delivery, although she would not have prevented me from attempting it if I wanted to.
Wednesday, March 16 was chosen as the date. Whenever I tell someone this, they want to know why it isn't the 17th (Saint Patrick's Day). :) Wednesday is Dr. F's regular day at the hospital, so scheduling on that day would give us our pick of when we wanted the surgery to be done, while scheduling it on Thursday would have meant that we would have to work around what the hospital had available. While a St. Patrick's Day baby sounds really neat, seeing as this baby came home with me from Ireland, the 16th also holds significance for us, as you can see from the beginning of this post.
The C-section is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Wednesday. That is so SOON! I can not believe that there are just a few days left before we meeet our baby. I'm nervous about the surgery, but I feel confident that we are making a good choice for our baby and I'm hoping and praying that all goes well. As long as the birth results in a safe, healthy baby and a safe, healthy mom, that's all that ultimately matters!
We are so excited to meet our new son or daughter, and to introduce him or her to you!
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| From Loving the Life We Live |
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Nursery Pictures
You have waited so patiently for pictures of baby's nursery that you deserve to be richly rewarded! And so, with no further ado, I present . . . the nursery.
The dresser is stocked with all our cloth diapers, ready to go, and baby's adorable clothes.
This rocking chair was my great-grandmother's, which my wonderful husband had restored. The quilt on the wall was begun by Greg's late grandmother and finished by his mom for our baby.
  For the first few months, baby will be spending nights sleeping by my side in the guest bedroom upstairs.  Everything is ready. Now all we need is a baby. Right now, it's the calm before the storm here in the Mueller house. It's anyone's guess as to when we'll bring our new baby home and enter into a period of complete household chaos . . . but chaos in a good way! |
Sunday, March 6, 2011
38 weeks
Today I'm blessed to be 38 weeks pregnant with an active baby moving and stretching inside me. I wonder how much longer it will be before Greg and I meet our new little son or daughter?
Since we can't be sure whether or not I will still be preggo at 40 weeks to post a final due date belly shot, I want to go ahead and share a slideshow that will take you from 12 weeks to 38 weeks in two week increments. I think pregnancy has been a "growing" experience for me, don't you?
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| From Loving the Life We Live |
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
I can't believe . . .
| . . . that this pregnancy is now considered "full term." Where has the time gone? It's amazing knowing that I could technically have this baby at any time now, and that the actual due date is only two and a half weeks away. Incredible! People keep saying things like, "You must be ready for that baby to come" or "I bet you're ready to be done with being pregnant." My answer? No, not really. I have been so blessed with an easy pregnancy and (excepting the fact that my hip pain is back tonight) am lucky enough not to feel miserable and completely tired of being pregnant. I feel pretty good still. Is that supposed to change in these last couple of weeks? I'm not complaining! I'll be perfectly happy for Baby Mueller to stay put for a few more weeks so I can keep working on my to do list. :) And I'll be so excited to meet him or her whenever the big day actually arrives. I had a doctor's appointment today. My group B strep test from the last appointment came back negative, which is good since that means I won't need antibiotics during labor. Blood pressure still great, baby's heart rate around 135, weight is good (I've gained 50 pounds and now seem to be holding pretty steady). I'm still not dilated at all (that's good). My doctor thinks that the baby is sideways (transverse) and suspects that he or she has tried to turn but is just too big and doesn't really have room to get his or her head down into the pelvis. Next week (March 9), I'll have another ultrasound to confirm the position of the baby as well as his/her size, and then discuss the options. We will want to do whatever is going to be safest for the baby. So now we continue with the waiting game. Hopefully I don't go into labor before next Wednesday (I don't see that happening). I really can't believe that the calendar has now been turned to March and that my darling baby will be born sometime THIS MONTH!! |
| From Loving the Life We Live |
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