Maube

Happy Birthday!

aloe

Yay! Happy Birthday!

Fresh Update: My days are spent on the couch nursing constantly. Gabe takes after his father in mannerisms as well. They say at 5weeks BFing get easier.. It better get easier =p my bewbies werent made to be constantly in Gabe's mouth. I swear... ia m a human pacifer.. waking hours are usually spent latched onto me =p Breastfeeding is the best choice for Gabe... but dang it is more inconvienent when you have a baby who likes to comfort suck =p It is a heckofalotcheaper. And Kat is thrilled that he doesnt have to take a midnight feeding =p Of course I think we lucked out - for what he lacks in sleep during the day - he sleeps like a rock at night now. Sure he wakes up 2-4 times a night to eat - but since I cosleep with him - he nurses in his sleep and I nurse him in mine So I usually get at LEAST 4 hours of sleep a day =p daytime naps are a bust tho - unless I luck out. He will eat then fall asleep but if I move at ALL - he is back awake and demanding more nursing =p He is growing very well tho - at least 11lbs already - already holding his head up - scooting around on us (usually to get to his food source) enjoying his tummy time and VERY observant. Tho he is almost too big for his newborn clothes =( Makes me wanna cry! I finally got my hair cut - 11 inches of hair sent off to Locks for Love - and you'd be proud... I didn't cry! Still adjusting tho

Happy birthday to the Poor Man's Jesus!

awww - we miss you already in CT. Drove by one of your truckstops today =p I wouldnt survive in Texas - heck it got up to 80 this week so I wrapped the baby up in his snuggle wraps and cranked the AC =p not to mention sitting around in my underoos =p easier to nurse that way as well no way I would survive the heat and humidity down there =p Best of luck Meltman!

Thanks =) and Happy Mothers Day to my fellow mothers

Am loving it thanks for the heads up

He is cranky because we put mittens on him He had an eye infection and they were itchy! He has almost grown out of that hat already and that makes me sad =p Today was a MUCh better day - of course escaping the house without him for 2 hours was a nice change... but I did come back to a VERY frazzled Kat. Tomorrow is going to be a rough night for all of us - my mom turns 60 on Sat. and my dad is throwing her a surprise party - so I am leaving Gabe with my friend for 3-4 hours I hope I make it through! Been pumpin all week to try and store up enough milk to get him through - and then Saturday he gets baptised great Birthday present for his Nana. Lets just hope he doesnt go gassy again! Now that is misery for everyone - cant make him happy because the gas hurts =( Last night he only woke up twice... but that was probably because I was cosleeping =p not something I was planning on doing - but it makes breastfeeding sooooooo much easier. Although my arm usually is numb when I get up in the morning.

Hullo everyone! Just wanted to pop on and say hello to everyone - dont want people thinking Kat threw us both into the nearest river I am doing as well as can be expected on limited sleep and sore bewbies I think Gabe just hit a growth spurt because he has been voraciously hungry. Kat weighed him a couple of days ago and he is already 9 pounds. Hard to believe honestly! They grow so danged fast. Although lately he has been refusing to sleep at all - just little cat naps. makes me a little crazy and Kat upset =p

oh man... I dont know which one I want!

Well done everyone =)

Miss yah =)

::giggles::

Yeah... I've given up on sleep =p so far have had one night of normal baby activity - him waking up every 2 hours for a change of diaper and a meal... tonight is back to the angry demon child. Luckily I had Kat put together his swing today - so I can at least swing him to sleep (still cant get up and walk like he wants me to do - already had the OB yell at me once for over doing it) and then transfer him to his little bouncy chair. He HATES his bassinet - so most of the time in the morning I fall asleep holding him - which isnt the safest thing in the world but I am usually so exhausted by 5am that I just kinda pass out trying to keep him asleep =p While breastfeeding is the best for him - I cannot wait until I can start pumping =p then Kat can spend some time with demonbaby in the middle of the night. Man I miss my bed... the couch is nowhere near comfortable enough =p Anyway - it is almost time for Gabe's next feeding so off I go - hopefully he doesnt take another hour to comfort - back and arms are already aching tnight =p

Oh sure... I just read the post and was going to empty out my bank since it isnt doing anyone any good =p It'll be nice once I stop being a human pacifier/bottle then maybe I can sneak on for a little bit. For now - when Gabe sleeps - I try to unstimulate myself so even if I dont sleep - I can rest

Updated some pictures that my mom took Doing well - just dealing with sleeplessness and sore bewbies =) dont have too much fun without me!

Happy Birthday!

Heheh - thanks everyone - coping pretty well - better then Kat is I am exhausted but since I dont have to go anywhere - at 3:30am I wake kat up early for work and he manages to get Gabe to fall asleep - when he goes to work I can usually get two hours sometimes 3 ::laughs:: Grandma is coming down tomorrow so Kat and I are guarenteed at least an hour nap, depending on if this voracious little bugger will letgo for a little bit we went to the pediatrician on Thursday for his jaundice - and he had already gained back most of the weight he lost at the hospital! he was back up to 7lbs - for a breastfed baby - it is VERY good =) he is still yellowish today - but as long as he is still doing what babies do (eat sleep pee and poop) he is okay =) In fact... usually our first morning changing - either he or I get a golden shower =p hard to vaseline and change a squirmy angry baby AND keep him covered so we dont get wet I think I'll keep him... and Kat

http://gabeybaby.myphotoalbum.com/albums.php

alright... take two on my birth story =) Computer decided to crash when I left to feed my darling baby boy. So Friday when I went in - my BP was high enough and my reflexes were spastic enough to make my OB decide I needed to get induced. So terrified out of my mind... I went to the hospital friday night. Was settled in, gave some blood, and waited. Doctor gave me cervicil, hooked me up to the monitors and the trial by fire began. Mild contractions were nothing to write home about - but the main reason they were using this was to ripen my cervix since I was still not dilated. Roughest part of the night was any movement by me and the monitors would slide from where they were supposed to be and I would end up making hte machine's alarm go off, so my poor mother and husband weret sleeping at all - nice of them to come with me to the hospital since I was so scared. Well saturday morning - a vaginal found I wasnt dilated. So hooked up to the Pitocin I started a very long day. By the end of the 12 hours of Pit, I was in agonizing pain - I was coping pretty well tho - had plenty of support and some wonderful nurses helping me through... but when the midwife checked me Saturday evening - I wasnt dilated STILL. However I was effaced but still my cervix was posterior. I was given the choice of starting another round of cervadil or miso during the night - but I opted to spend the night sleeping to have another full day of induction in the morning. So in the morning they started me back on pitocin - only to have the doctor discontinue it a couple hours later - we decided to try and go the strongest route we could and so I was given miso(dont know the whole name - but it is a pill inserted in the vagina) and so I started day 2.5 By the end of the day - I was having very strong contractions - but according to the monitors - it wasnt the type of contractions that are considered good contractions. So at 7:00 pm - 8 hours after starting the miso treatments - the doctor checked me again. Fully effaced but only a fingertip dilated. Talk about absolutely depressing. All that pain and work for two and a half days and nothing to show for it. and since my BP was stable - they considered sending me home. I was so disheartened I was ready to agree. My nurse that afternoon however gave me another option and stuck to it to convince me, and it is a dang good thing she did. They decided to give me a shot of morphine and let me sleep through the night so I could be sent home in the morning to try again in two days. Emotionally and physically I was exhausted. The contractions were so painful I just writhed waiting for my shot. My husband and my mother were sent home since they wanted to make sure I didnt fight the morphine and just accept the release of sleep. 4 hours later the morphine was wearing off and I was in agony. Every contraction just sent me moaning and begging for sleep. I was by myself with no coach and no one to help me through the pain with comforting words (and I should mention... back labor STINKS) Finally, after about 4 hours of these contractions I asked the nurse for something to help me sleep or to stop the pain. She said she'd have the midwife examine me and then give me something after they monitored the contractions and the baby. So I got up and took a hot shower - wanting to scream every time my uterus clenched - but they felt no stronger nor any more frequent then the ones I had been having all day. Got out of the shower - laid back down - and a nurse came to give me a pelvic. 8 centimeters dilated. Shocked I just kinda sat there - even the nurses were surprised. So they figured I had some time yet. The next contraction - I felt water trickle between my legs. Nurse came in and tested it - my water had broken at 3:15am Frantic I asked the nurse to call my husband and my mother. My mother had no shot to reach me - she lives an hour away - but would 20 minutes be enough for my husband? The nurses were pretty confident that i still had some time - that I would spend plenty of time pushing. well the next contraction I had that pushing sensation, but it wasnt so intense that I couldnt ignore it - but I mentioned it to the nurse - a little lost in the pain. Next contraction I could not help but push, I remember apologizing for pushing while I was doing it and suddenly I felt a 'pop' and a rush. Membranes ruptured, I heard the dreaded word meconium. Blinking in surprise she barked orders to another nurse to wake up the midwife on call - they didnt wake her when my water broke. Quickly they set me up on the table as they pulled in the birthing tray and got everything ready. Next contraction had his head crowning. And then the last contraction - the midwife wanted me to push slower but I couldn't. at 3:36am on Monday the 16th Gabriel was born - in such a rush that I not only tore myself in the 'traditional' place but also in the fun places =p Luckily Gabe didnt inhale any meconium and was given an 8 and 9 Apgar score. My husband came in during the repair job on my down there - and apparently he was really shocked about how much blood. There was a lot - but with me being so anemic through my pregnancy he was really really worried. After I delivered the placenta my mom came in. Both of the people who spent all that time with me at the inductions missed the birth. But now I have a beautiful baby boy - and I can be proud that I didnt even think epidural there would have been NO time to get me one even if I had thought about it. Only pain med I had was the morphine to let me sleep - and to think I was begging for a shot of darvocet hehe. So... Gabriel Thomas was born - April 16th at 3:36am - 7lbs 1 ounce - 20 1/4 inches. So yeah - its been a rough week. Now to cope with no sleep =) sore bewbies and a sore bottomend. So much fun trying to go to the bathroom while holding a baby put him down and he screams his head off, he is a cuddlebaby ::laughs:: And he looks just like Kat - its uncanny really. I barely made it out of labor without needing a transfusion - and he is a bit jaundiced but he has already regained 2 of the 3 ounces he lost in the hospital! And boy is he a pooperman =p So anyway - I hope you are all well and I appreciate the thoughts you have sent my way. Get to spend the next few weeks recouping and healing, and trying to get my hemocrit levels above 25 =p well typing with a baby in the crook of your arm isnt the easiest task for me to complete so I am going to head out and see if I cant get Gabe to eat a big meal so I can potentially get an hour of sleep tnight Hopefully I will be able to get some pictures uploaded tomorrow.

You guys are NOT helping my nerves =p Anyway... just one last gulp before I head to the hospital. Mom is coming up to spend the night with me since I am more then a little nervous (that and the hormones and I have a hard time not crying) Call me crazy but I was looking forward to the natural birth experience =p unfortunatly that doesnt seem to be the case for Gabey - but as long as we both make it out healthy I am not going to be too upset! So keep checkin the boards folks - there will be a little one this weekend =)

Whelp... there will be a baby this weekend. Doc appointment today had my BP spiking again and now my reflexes are exaggerated. So Doc is sending me to the hospital tnight for testing, observation and stuff to ripen my cervix (still not dilating) and if I dont start labor on my own - pitocin either tomorrow or Sunday. Which has me absolultely terrified to say the least =( I know that if I dont dilate and they start me on pitocin - the likelyhood of me needing a cesearean are high. Wish us luck

I have learned the secrets of amassing a fortune ::cackles gleefully and gets herself addicted to new and interesting things::

::sighs:: not yet - thought yesterday would be the day - had cramping and contractions almost all day... then they stopped. Off to the OB again in a minute - Gunna get induced next week if he doesnt make his appearence yet. I am a stiff sore cranky deadie =p