Happy BIRTH day, Natalie!

Our precious baby girl has arrived!  And we are all so in love with her already.  She was really tiny but she definitely made her presence known from the start (read: fantastic lungs!).  From the moment I heard that mighty cry that was distinctly different from her big brother's first cry, I knew that she already had such a special place in my heart.

She arrived in the same way her big brother did (c-section), and yet there were many things that were different about that day, her birth-day, from the setting in the OR to my time in the recovery room.  Everything went wonderfully and we are so happy to have our Natalie Grace with us...

Happy BIRTH day, Deacon!

Our baby boy is here.  Our lives are forever altered in the best possible way.  We have fallen completely and totally head-over-heels in love with this little 7 lb, 2 oz, 20 in long bundle of kissable sweetness.

October 26, 2010 brought so many different emotions for me and Jeff, not the least of which was overwhelming love for this little guy that we'd waited nine months to meet.  It's indescribable and yet I'll never forget all that took place that day...

[getting ready to head down to the OR]

[all hooked up and ready for the c-section]

[Deacon's first moments of life]

[Daddy happily looking on while Deacon is checked out & cleaned up]

[precious baby boy]

[proud papa :) ]

[Mommy's first time meeting her son]

[kissing my sweet baby boy]

[first family photo]

[our adorable son, Deacon Josiah Wenzel]

These photos speak for themselves about the day our baby boy was born.  If you'd like to see more photos, check them out here.

doctor's appts #24 & #25...

We had our last 2 doctor's appts today.  The first was at my OB office for the standard NST.  That went fine.  Deacon is still doing beautifully.  He has no clue what's about to go down but he'll adjust wonderfully to that, too, I'm sure.  :)

My blood pressue was up, as usual, but Dr. Hall seemed pretty unconcerned at this stage, just mentioning that she wanted us to monitor it to make sure it doesn't climb any higher before tomorrow.

They did check my iron one last time and it was 38 which is perfect.  Never did have trouble with my iron, so I'm thankful for that.

We had a couple of hours to kill before we had our pre-op testing appt downtown so Jeff and I ran a few errands to pick up some last minute things -- things like a 2nd car base for his truck, another changing pad cover, some envelopes & labels, etc.

At the pre-op testing center, we were both impressed with how friendly everyone there was, despite the fact that they.were.slammed.  We saw 3 different people -- one to get us into the system, one to draw blood and the last to explain to us what to expect tomorrow.

I guess I've read enough that I wasn't really surprised at any of the things that Anne told us concerning tomorrow.  Except maybe the fact that I have to shower twice (once tonight & once in the morning) with this specific soap that they gave me.  I guess that gives them a head start on killing any bacteria growing on my skin.

Dr. Hall had told us that she wanted them to take my bp before I left, after lying still on my side for a minute or two, just to see what it was and to make sure it wasn't climbing.  It was perfectly fine, 125/69.  :)

We are the first surgery of the day tomorrow, scheduled at 7:30am, so we'll be heading to the hospital in the wee hours of the morning to get there by 5:45am.  Sheesh.

I think we're as ready as we're ever going to be.  Jeff and I have enjoyed spending these last few days as "just the two of us" and even though we both feel a little bit sad at the "ending of an era", we're ready to expand our family of 2 to 3 and welcome our little man with open arms tomorrow.

doctor's appt #22...

I had a doctor's appt with my OB this morning for another NST to monitor the baby's heartbeat.  My blood pressure was surprisingly low: 126/78.  Say what?!  Whatever.  I just never know.

The NST turned out fine -- Dr. Hill was pleased with his movement and heartbeat throughout the test.  I drank some orange juice this morning to get him really moving.  Which he was.  He likes orange juice.  :)

While I was on the monitors for the NST, Dr. Hill came in to discuss a "plan for delivery".  As of the ultrasound last Thursday, he is still breech so obviously the course of action is to schedule a c-section.

*cue villian music* Dun-dun-dun.

Now, this child has been breech for quite a while now so I've had time to get used to the idea that we may have to go the c-section route.  Not my first choice, of course, because I did want to try the labor-and-(vaginal)-delivery route, despite being scared to death of it all.  :)  However, it doesn't look like that is in the near future for us unless he turns between now and Tuesday.

That's right -- I said Tuesday.  We are scheduled for a c-section first thing Tuesday morning, October 26.  Um, yeah.  That's a week from tomorrow.

So I've been slowly processing this information all day today.  Hard to believe that in a week, we'll get to meet our little guy, this child I've been carrying for so long, the one who's been wreaking havoc on my body and my blood pressure.  :)

I will have another ultrasound on Thursday to check my fluid levels and if, by some chance, he's actually turned, I guess we'll regroup and figure out Plan B.  In the meantime, we're planning on the c-section next Tuesday.

And Jeff now has a firm deadline for that crib.

doula meeting #1...

We met with our doula, Kelley, last night, for the first official meeting.  And had a lot of fun.  It helps when your doula is also a good friend of yours.  :)

She basically went over some of the stuff that we'd learned in our childbirth class, expounding on certain things and revising others based on her experience.  I felt more comfortable revisiting things I had a question about with her, rather than in a class setting.  She talked about the stages of labor  generally, but also as it pertains to her and what she's here to do for/with us.

She told me to be sure that both Jeff and I were wearing comfy clothes that we "could move in"...yes, we did some laboring techniques last night so that Jeff could see the role that she would assume for me, as well as the role that she expected him to play during labor and delivery.  It was GREAT for me!  :)  Kelley told Jeff that the main thing was to keep me just as relaxed as I could possibly be in that situation (that is, the situation of giving birth to our first child).

She went through some exercises on the ball and with a scarf type thing that serves to relieve pressure if used in the right way.  It was pretty interesting some of things she showed us and though I'm not having a lot of trouble with back pain, etc. at this point, I can see how a lot of these things she showed us will really help if/when I do have trouble with that.

We laughed a lot and learned a lot so it was a great experience for all of us, I think.  We have some paperwork to fill out and some exercises, etc. to practice for the next month and then we'll have another meeting at the end of the month to review.  We may possibly have one more meeting, if we just feel like we need one more before the little one decides to make his entrance.

childbirth education class #4...

We had our fourth and final Prepared Childbirth class last night.  We talked more about labor and delivery, specifically what happens if a c-section is needed.  Though I'm not a fan of needing a c-section -- I don't know who is really (unless they had serious complications in previous births or something like that) -- but I know that if one is needed, it will only be because it will be in my best interest & that of my child.

With that being said, having a c-section seems like a cake walk compared to a vaginal birth!  Now, I know there are more issues with recovery in the case of a c-section, a longer stay in the hospital, etc.  But the work is done mostly by the hospital staff with a c-section, according to what we learned.  Surgery is surgery, however, and the emotional issues that go along with a c-section HAVE to factor in, I'm sure.

Once we wrapped up the eduction portion, we got to take a tour of the hospital, those areas that we would be utilizing in the labor & delivery of our child.  It was pretty interesting seeing all the different places, and I got lost pretty fast but there are plenty of folks around to direct you where you need to go.  :)  What I liked about the hospital is that it doesn't feel so much like a hospital.  They've done a good job of making the rooms feel more like bedrooms, despite the little bit of medical equipment, etc. that's necessary.

The labor & delivery rooms (vs. the recovery/postpartum rooms) were kind of scary, though.  Only because Jackie flipped on the "delivery lights" (2 huge spotlights!),  took apart the bed and brought out the stirrups and such and I think it just kind of hit me right.then. that I would be going through "all this" in 2 months time.  It, um...well, it kind of...it was a healthy dose of reality.  We'll just say that.

The recovery/postpartum rooms on the mother & baby floor I've seen before after visiting some friends in the hospital after giving birth.  They're pretty nice.  Once we get to that point, it will be better.  I think.  :)

Jeff and I are really glad that we signed up for this class.  Jackie was an excellent teacher and I think we learned some really valuable things through this class.  We have 2 more classes to attend this month, one on breastfeeding and one on baby care.  After those, we'll be pros, right??

childbirth education class #2...

We went to our 2nd childbirth education class last night.  Everyone that was there last week came back so that was good.  We only scared off the sister-in-law that I mentioned in this post.  :)

Again, there was a lot of information covered in this class.  We talked about things to pack for our stay in the hospital, both for before & during delivery, as well as after delivery.  There were lists in the books that we got last week, but Jackie sited specific things that she thought were really helpful.  I made a special note of those.  Especially the one about the "hair tie for long hair".  :)

We also talked about different tools that we may or may not see during the process.  AND it was show-and-tell.  Yes, Jackie brought out things like an IV tube/syringe, an IUPC (internal uterine pressure catheter), a vacuum, a fetal scalp electrode...

It was not a real upbeat time in the class.  And then we went through some of the reasons for induction.

Kind of a downer -- even Jackie said that -- but still, it's a part of being informed and prepared and I'm glad to have the knowledge we learned last night.  Even if it's not all *rainbows & butterflies*.

Jackie did cover pediatricians in the area, too, and had nothing but good, positive things to say about each of them.  I think we've decided on our pediatrician -- one in the Hampstead area so it will be relatively close for us.  That, and we know other kids (and their parents) who are patients there.

epidural...

I think I mentioned in one of my posts that once we got our official due date, I'd signed up to get emails from babycenter.com and whattoexpect.com.  And I've been getting them.  Lots of them!  But then again, there's lots of information to learn before our little one gets here, huh?

So I got one yesterday from babycenter.com and in the subject line it said, "Should you get an epidural?"  Some of my girlfriends may have heard me express my feelings on this subject.  For those reading here, I will reiterate.  I feel like I HAVE A VERY LOW TOLERANCE FOR PAIN.  Therefore, I am under no illusions that I will be "trying to do this naturally".  No.  Not this girl.  I'm thinking they can just go ahead and hook me up to the pain meds as soon as I come in the door, right?

Of course, I know that's not how it works, but you get the urgency of my feelings on this subject.  So when I got this email yesterday, I was a little hesitant to read it.  I know that "knowledge is power" but in certain cases, knowledge is scary.  But, my curiosity won out -- it probably is wise to be knowledgeable on this particular subject, yes?

So I read through it.

It gave information on how an epidural works, what the advantages and disadvantages were (note to self: list of disadvantages was a lot longer than list of advantages...) and then it gave information on those who wouldn't have the option of an epidural (those with blood disorders, etc.) -- thankfully, I don't fall into any of those categories.  Epidural is a go.  If I can keep my nerve up.  :)

After the article, there was a link that said, "Watch an epidural needle being inserted".  Seriously?

I sat there for a few minutes really considering whether or not I should watch that video.  Some of my friends have heard me express my feelings on THIS subject, too.  For you guys, I will reiterate.  I.HATE.NEEDLES.  SERIOUSLY.HATE.THEM.  And I don't EVER do them voluntarily.

I really thought I didn't need to watch the video because when I get mine (yes, when, not if), it's not as if I'm going to see any of that happening back there.  However, my curiosity won out again and, against my better judgment, I watched it.

And almost passed out.

I'm not sure if it was the iodine to sterilize that they swabbed all over the girl's back (thought it was blood at first, I promise you) or the GI.GANTIC needle they put in her back to insert the catheter, but whatever it was, I didn't do so well with all of that.  I had already heard stories about how big this needle was and surprisingly, this video showed it being a little smaller than I thought it would be but STILL.  It was a HUGE needle.  And what did I say about needles before?

Anyways, I was fine, almost to the end of the video -- the thing was in and everything -- and then all of a sudden my stomach did a type of flip-flop and I started to get real hot and then to see spots/stars.  Yeah.  Had to put my head between my knees and the whole thing.  Kind of embarrassing but it is what it is.

Despite that, I'm glad I watched it.  It cleared up some questions I had.

And I think I'm still gettin' one.