Raising Dinah

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Consolidation- follow me there!

My consolidation of blogs is now complete.  To continue reading my blog, please refer to:  http://raisingdinah.blogspot.com/

I will no longer be posting at this address. 

Thanks for reading!!

Friday, November 5, 2010

Remember When...

Remember when I had a baby, and finally got around to writing about it two weeks later?  Remember when I took a month to get around to posting pictures of said baby?  I shall now attempt the impossible:  uploading pics despite a spotty internet connection. 

Nope.  Still no luck.  Well, she's really cute.  You'll just have to take my word for it.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I must call and harass the internet provider. 

Remember when I posted after a month long hiatus, and still didn't say anything of note? 

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

D-Day

I was scheduled for induction the morning of Sept. 22nd.  I didn't want an induction, and was praying that little britches would decide to come on her own.  And this is what happened...

I had taken Monday and Tuesday off work to get things done, and get some rest before my induction on Wednesday.  I ran some errands on Monday, and just relaxed on Tuesday.  On Tuesday evening, around 6pm, my water broke.  I went for a walk and ate supper, because I wasn't sure if that was it or not.  I was not having any contractions.  Finally, we decided to go to the hospital.  They checked me and said yes it was amniotic fluid and I was there to stay.  My mom was already there, and my in-laws were on their way down that night, so we called and told them to come by the hospital instead of going to our house. They started me on Pitocin at 10pm, because I still was not having contractions and was not dilating.  I tried to take a nap, but it was hard to sleep with an IV and a blood pressure cuff that checked me every 30 minutes.  So, I watched some TV, and waited.  Once my contractions started, they were very sporadic.  Some were very close together, and some were spaced out, and a lot of times I would have 3-4 with no time in-between. 

At 4am, I was exhausted (I'm not good at staying up late), and finally dilated to 4cm.  Contractions were still very sporadic, so I decided to get the epidural. I told the nurse I just wanted to sleep.  Best decision ever.  The nurse left to let me try to sleep, and said she would be back in a couple hours to check me again.  She came back an hour and a half later, and I was ready to push!  It took hours to get to 4cm before the epidural, and an hour and a half to dilate 5cm more after the epi.  So, I pushed a couple times, and then...shift change!  The new nurse was much more inexperienced and kept wanting to have me lay on my side for a few minutes because she thought the baby was turned a little sideways.  Finally, the doctor came in and checked me, and said the baby was fine to go ahead and start pushing. 

So, at 9:51am on September 22, we had a precious baby girl.  Dinah Clare weighed 8lbs, 2 oz and was almost 22 inches long.  She has my nose and hands, and her daddy's mouth, and dimple chin, and strawberry blonde hair just like her Grandpa.  We couldn't be more happy with her.  And, I couldn't have gotten through without my sweet husband.  He was so much help during both labor and delivery, and has already proven to be an amazing Daddy.  I never had to change a single diaper until she was 3 days old.  Dinah is pretty taken with him too.  She watches him intently when he talks to her.  She doesn't pay that much attention to me or anyone else when we talk to her.  She's been a daddy's girl since the day she was born. 

Hopefully I can post pictures soon.  Our internet is not cooperating right now. 

Friday, September 17, 2010

The Answer

About six months ago, I poured out my heart and the changes therein, about staying at home. Now, it’s my last day of work before I go on maternity leave, and I finally have a plan, a compromise.


In a few weeks (the exact number of which is still to be determined), I will return to work, but only on a part-time basis. I never could reconcile my brain to the thought of daycare, and it would have taken a big chunk of my check anyway. It just didn’t seem worth it. But, if I didn’t work, I couldn’t pay for insurance.

Long story short, I will be off two days a week, Dean will start working longer shifts and be off one day a week, and a friend of ours will be taking care of our sweet baby the remaining two days. Problem solved. We will have to get an individual insurance plan, which I know will be far inferior to the group plan we’re on now, but it’s a trade we’re willing to make in order to be home with her ourselves or at least have her with someone we know and trust.

As I mentioned, I start maternity leave after today.  I will spend the weekend with my husband and mother.  Monday and Tuesday, I will finish up any last minute things and get some rest, hopefully.  And, bright and early Wednesday morning, we head to the hospital for our induction.  This could all change, of course, if our new arrival decides to come earlier.  That would be perfectly fine with us.  I am not looking forward to an induction, but the doctor tells us she's looking like she's big and that my hips are pretty narrow.  We're afraid an induction could cause me to need a c-section, but we're also afraid that if we don't induce she won't have room and I'll end up with one anyway.  It's a catch 22.  So, please pray that she'll come before her induction (even if it's the night before!) and that she'll be small enough to get out with no problems. 

Friday, September 10, 2010

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

The Good:
Still just 1 cm dilated, but baby has dropped even more, and starting to have occasional period-like cramps. I asked to drop to part-time at work, and they finally approved it this week.
The Bad:
The house is still not finished, though we just lack the living room. There apparently isn’t much room in my hips, hope this doesn’t lead to a c-section! I’m more and more tired each day.

The Ugly:
My attitude. I’m so ready to have this baby! I’m ready for some family time. I’m ready to be able to reach my feet. I’m ready to be off work. The more tired I get, the crankier I get. Not good.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Antsy

Antsy


I should not be getting antsy. After all, I still do not have a living room. Actually, I don’t have a kitchen sink, yet. My bag is not packed (list is made though, and I’ve gotten it started). The baby blankets are not washed. And, technically, she’s not full-term until Saturday. But, I am. I’m getting really antsy. In all reality, though, things are done enough that we could get by if she were to come early. We have diapers and wipes, some clothes, and her sheet is washed and on the bed. My day typically looks like this:

6:15am- get up, aching & groaning, and complain about the fact that I’m awake
7:15am- drive to work in a daze
8:00am- clock in and cry because I'm not at home
8:00am-5:00pm- try to get some work done while yawning, and thinking about all the things I need to get     done at home. Wish my water would break, because having a newborn is bound to be more restful than this. Realize how tired I must be to think that.
5:00pm- clock out, and drive home in a daze
5:45pm-9:45pm- cook supper, clean & organize or pack a few things, then crash out of exhaustion
10:00-10:30pm- finally fall into bed
11:00pm-6:00am- toss & turn…and ache and groan, make about 327 trips to the bathroom
6:00am- alarm goes off. Roll back over, and pray that I don’t have to get up. Wish I could stay home and take a couple naps, organizing & cleaning & packing in between.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

36 Week Check-up

Technically, I won’t be 36 weeks until Saturday, but I figure its close enough to count it. I had my doctor’s appointment today. Things are looking good. Here’s a quick run-down:


*weight gain is still right on track (yeah, go me!)
*baby is head-down, just like she's supposed to be (good girl)
*did the group B strep thing, so that’s out of the way
*dilated to 1cm
*next appointment in two weeks

We’re on the down-hill slide. She could make it the next four weeks to her due date or it could be a week. It’s just a waiting game…again. In the meantime, we have lots to accomplish. How about another list?

*meet with pediatrician (tomorrow)
*finish construction (progress is being made, Dean is off work the rest of the week)
*church baby shower on Sunday (hopefully we’ll get the rest of what we need)
*fix back passenger door on car (it’s stuck shut- might need it to function with baby here)
*clean car (it’s been a construction vehicle for awhile, need to transform it to babymobile)
*pack bag for the hospital (No, I haven’t done it yet. I have a list made though)
*wash baby clothes
*install car seat
*get a haircut (maybe not a necessity, but I need to look cute before I deliver, right?)
*pedicure (What? This is my list. I can put on it what I wish.)