Acting Balanced: Ach Baby

Showing posts with label Ach Baby. Show all posts

Erik's Birth Story

Well, those of you who have been following Baby E's story, you know that we were worried about him being big, and his head circumference... well we were right ;)

Erik Reid Alfred Smith was born by cesarean section at 7:46pm on Friday, October 29th, 2010 after his mommy laboured for twelve hours after being induced.... he weighed 9 lbs 14 oz, with

It started a few weeks ago, when at my 35 week appointment, the O/B who I was seeing was concerned about the size of the baby - he was still measuring significantly early and she was concerned about his size, so the following week, I had an U/S which determined that he was 7lbs 5 ounces at 36 weeks!! In comparison, Liam was born at 37 weeks at 7lbs 13 ounces, so we knew that this baby would be bigger than his brother, but the question would be how much bigger?

Another U/S this past Monday indicated that Erik was now over 9 lbs and there was serious concern about his head size... so it was determined that baby E would arrive Friday, and we'd try induction first... so Mommy & Daddy arrived at the hospital bright and early yesterday morning and got checked in... and settled in for what was expected to be a fairly long day...

Erik progressed rapidly through the morning- effacing and starting to descend, and contracting well with the help of the Pitocin. Mommy's water was broken at 9:30 am and again things progressed well... by 11am, she was 5 cm dilated and 90% effaced, by 2pm she was 6 cm dilated and 100% effaced and that's where labour stopped progressing - I was still 6 cm at 4pm and again at 7pm, so the decision was made - time for a C-Section...

After a few tears from Mommy, things progressed quickly from there - everyone mobilized and I was in the ER by 7:30pm, Wayne joined us at 7:35pm and at 7:46pm, Erik was born...

Just under an hour later, Mommy was in recovery and an hour after that we were settled in our room... Erik fed well twice and he and Mommy and Daddy bonded for a while, until Daddy headed home ...

Meet Erik Reid Alfred Smith!

Erik was born at 7:46pm EST tonight by C- Section... my labour stalled mid afternoon and now I know why... Master Erik is a big boy! 9lbs 14 oz with a great size head, chubby cheeks and even bigger shoulders... he just wasn't going to come vaginally in a reasonable amount of time, so we made the best decision we could - the C-Section was necessary! Big thanks to everyone on the team - more details tomorrow!

Labor update...

Well, we're still waiting... the last time I was checked I was dilated to 7 - 7.5.... but it's been a slow afternoon...

hoping that progress is progress, but a little worried that we'll end up in the o/r... after all this ...

descend, baby, descend!!!

And let your head and shoulders fit!!!

An update...

We arrived at the hospital at 6:30 today... admissions took a little while, because we're here in advance of my due date, so I wasn't in the computer system yet... even though my doc has sent her paperwork through to have me admitted this morning... oh well, the wheels of bureaucracy...

My nurse for the day, Jane, is fabulous - no pic of her yet, but I will get one... she got my IV in on the first shot... something of a miracle in my world...

so far so good, no pain with the contractions ... just a little pressure...

I've had a few people comment on the set-up - both Wayne and I have our laptops out... the cell phone is charged and ready...

we're all set :)

My theory is, he's not here yet, so why not blog :) All we're doing is waiting - and I'm getting frozen butt...

More later - including a very sweet guest post from my hubby...

Baby E update!

Well, my pregnancy should be over by FRIDAY!! One way or the other, Baby E will be making his appearance - hopefully I can go into labor myself by then, but if I don't we'll be starting Pitocen and hoping to induce natural labor ...

If you have a guest post for me, I would love to get it within the next day or so, so that I can get everything loaded in... although I will probably be blogging a bit on Friday, as I wait for my sweet baby E to make his appearance - they have wi-fi at the hospital you know... and blogging is easier than reading between contractions!

Both Baby E and I were doing fine at my doctor's appointment today, but I did gain some more weight, and he's finally starting to engage, so we decided that it's probably best to meet him now rather than wait a week...

Please send self starting labor dust and easy peasy labor thoughts...because as much as I'm looking forward to meeting E, I'm not a big masochist... and I was spoiled when I went into labor with Liam.. it really was easy peasy...

Post it Note Tuesday - holding pattern...

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Sunday Family Stories - Waiting...

I honestly thought that I might have a baby story to share today... I was having regular contractions Friday night, starting at about midnight and progressively getting closer, so much so, that I woke Wayne up at about 2 AM so that he could shower and get ready, because I was down to about 11 minutes apart...

Once he was showered and wide awake, he sat down and we timed a few contractions - the time was still steady, but the intensity wasn't as bad... I was drifting off to sleep, and then they stopped completely... it's now 7:30 pm and they haven't restarted... so we're back to waiting...

This is something else that I didn't get to experience when I had Liam, I went into labour long before I started worrying about when and how I'd start... heck I was being put on bed rest for my blood pressure and told to relax and my doc would see me in a week.

With Baby E, they are worried about him being big, and that's adding some to my stress, plus we're now in that window where they'd like me to go into labour, so the parting words from my O/B last week was let's hope your water breaks...

In a way, I'm okay with waiting... the longer E bakes, the stronger he'll be... then again, the bigger he'll be... so I sit and stew and wait for E to make his appearance known... and every time I feel a strong twinge, I wonder if labour will be starting...

Have I ever told you that I hate waiting...

10 things not to say and do to a pregnant woman...

I read a post on Seeded Buzz by Perfectly Happy Mum, called "Please Stop Asking, I Do Not Want a Girl" and it reminded me that I really wanted to get a few things off my own chest... and since I haven't done a top ten list in a while... I thought I'd combine them and include some additional things...

I learned with my last pregnancy that there is a large portion of the population that forget that there are both manners and personal space when they find out you're pregnant... especially when you are far enough along to be waddling... and some of the worst things come out of their mouths... it's like my belly is a beacon for foot in mouth syndrome...

I appreciate their support as much as the next person, but please... mind the list... especially if I don't know you from Adam...

10. It's natural to be curious about what I'm having, but don't sigh and be disappointed when I tell you that I'm having a boy ... I can't change the gender of my child, I don't want to... and I AM HAPPY!

9. Follow up to 10 - don't ask if I wish it was a girl, I just want a healthy baby... again, referencing number ten - even if I wasn't pleased about the gender of my child, it's a little late to be worrying at this stage...

8. Press for a name, it's ok to ask if he will have one, all babies are named, eventually, but when I tell you that we're not sharing it, please let it drop... don't whine... it's not becoming ... and besides - even E's own grandparents don't know the name we've chosen for him... so why would we tell you, a stranger, first?

7. Don't ask about my due date and then act shocked when I tell you it's still a month away... yes, I know that I look big, this little guy likes his real estate... and since I was showing at barely 8 weeks, I figure it's par for the course that he's measuring two weeks ahead right now...

6. Follow up to 7 - Don't remark on my weight gain, even though I look big... gaining weight is normal in pregnancy and yes, I started out plus sized to begin with, but by eating healthy and watching myself, I have only gained about 15 lbs so far... which my doctor and I agree is NORMAL - so telling me that it looks like I've gained 50 ... not a good thing people...

5. Additonal follow up... once I've said "HE'S due in 5 weeks" don't follow up with "Are you sure you're not having twins?" Trust me on this... I am very sure (based on multiple ultrasounds and my own doctor that I am carrying one real estate obsessed child...

4. Don't make fun of my waddle... it's normal for pregnant women, especially in their last trimester to have some balance displacement issues... and walk a little slower and with a strange gait... our center of gravity has shifted significantly and we want to be comfortable... It will get worse before it gets better people... he's dropping daily and will eventually be engaged and pressing on my pelvis waiting to meet the world.. you try having something with a minimum 12 inch circumference pressing down on your pelvis, bladder and other organs...

3. Don't ask me if I'm in labor because I'm touching my belly... E kicks, wiggles, hiccups and performs complex mathematical equations in my body... and I like to connect with him... so I rub my tummy

2. Don't treat me like I'm an invalid... I know my limitations thank you... I know when my body is telling me not to pick up the 35 pound 4 year old, but sometimes I have to make the choice between carrying him and chasing him.. and at least if I'm carrying him I get some control of the situation... if he's running away or getting himself into a dangerous situation, it's unlikely that I'll be much good... so occasionally I pick him up... it saves wear and tear in the long run - and I am careful! So, berating me for doing it - not so smart...

1. Do not rub my belly without permission!!!! It's still my body and my skin... and besides, who says you - a not so well known person to me will be able to get that close to my new child once he's born... HANDS OFF PEOPLE!

Do you have any pregnancy related pet peeves about dealing with the world at large? Have I missed something? Add your two cents in the comments section...

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Wow... one month left...

Today is October the 8th... the child formerly known as Ach Baby and now affectionately being referred to as Baby E is set to officially make his debut on November 8th, but I'm not sure we'll be making that milestone... so really, we're down from counting months and weeks to potentially counting DAYS until we get to meet the new addition to the Smith house!!

I'm busily scurrying around putting the finishing touches on many of the book and product reviews and giveaways I have lined up for the next few weeks and many of my fellow bloggers have stepped up to offer guest posts... which I'm graciously accepting...

I'm also in the process of packing my 'hospital bag' and getting everything in order... we'll have a better handle on what's going on Monday after we see the doctor and more importantly, the U/S tech for a glimpse into how baby E is growing...

Wayne posted a challenge on his blog today to see if anyone can guess Baby E's name... we've limited family and friends to one name guess per day... but if you want to play along, click here and leave a comment for us on his blog.

Baby E has his first name set, but we are still working on middle ones, so the name game continues at our house...

The other way you can speculate is to pop over to ExpectNet and enter your guess for the baby's due date and birth stats!