I know it's been a bit since my last post, but then, I did just have a baby!!!
Katherine Ann Elaine Kubb was born August 7th, 2009 at 9:16am via planned c-section. She weighed 7 lbs, 6 oz, was 19 inches long, and had a head circumference of 36.5 cm. I will post some photos when I get a chance, as well as the video of Katherine's first few minutes of life, Dan cutting the cord, and Katherine getting weighed.
But first, her birth story!
As you all know from previous posts, I decided to book a c-section instead of trying for a natural birth. Right up until about a week before the surgery, I was having second thoughts, wondering if I had made the right decision etc. On the Monday before the surgery, I went 8 hours with contractions, lower abdominal and back pain, thinking that I was in labor. I went into the hospital, and sure enough, I wasn't. It was at that point that I knew I had made the right choice; I didn't want to play the "am I in labor, am I not" game anymore!!
We got to the hospital at 6am, got our paperwork, and headed upstairs to the maternity ward. The usual pre-op stuff happened; I changed into a gown, they started an IV, did paperwork, etc. My Dad and Step-Mom were there right before we headed to the high-risk room (I wasn't a high-risk pregnancy, that's just where they do the c-sections on the floor), and then we were off!
I went in, got up on the table and got prepped for my spinal, while Dan waited outside for me. Unfortunately, it took 2 tries to get the spinal in the right spot, and I have to say, it hurt like HELL!! Although, it worked wonderfully, and I had nice warm fuzzy legs through my whole operation!
Once the drapes were up and everything was ready, Dan was brought in and we were ready to go. We also had a little delay because the pediatrician was stuck in traffic, and ended up being late for the surgery. Since we couldn't start without him, my surgery started late too....
It didn't take long, and the OB was telling us we had a very cute baby, and then very shortly afterwards she told us it was a girl!! I darn near took the roof off when I screamed "ALRIGHT!!!! Just what I wanted!!!!" before breaking into uncontrollable sobs, which were probably just as loud as Katherine's! It definitely was a great day for us!
Once we had our time together, Dan went with Katherine to the nursery, and I went downstairs to recovery. I was supposed to recover on the maternity floor, but the recovery nurse called in sick, so I couldn't be up there with Dan and Katie (which is what we're calling Katherine for short). Unfortunately it added another hour to the wait our family had to find out the sex of the baby :(
Once I was upstairs, we let Alex meet Katie for the first time....He didn't quite know what to make of her! In fact, the realization that she wasn't leaving didn't set in until Day 2 home, when he wanted her bottle and when I wouldn't give it to him because it was "for the baby", he gave me the dirtiest look and wouldn't have anything to do with me for 3 days! Now he is starting to warm up to her, playing with her feet when he can (and when he thinks we're not looking) especially once we started asking him to help us with her by bringing diapers etc.
I have had one post-op complication...An infection! I just finished a 10 day course of antibiotics, but my incision is still a little red and draining, so I'll have to go back to the doctor and get more antibiotics. It was my own fault...I thought I was pulling at glue from all the tape that was on my belly...Turns out I was pulling at sutures, and introduced bacteria into my incision.......
Other than that, we're doing well!! I can't wait for Katie to get herself onto a predictable schedule--we still don't know if she'll sleep for 3 hours, or just 1 hour, or 20 minutes when we put her down for naps, and at night it varies too. I started her bedtime routine at the beginning of this week, so we'll see if she starts sleeping better at night soon. Right now I've got her sleeping with one of my shirts that I've worn to try and see if she'll sleep longer than and hour or 2 in the night. She wakes quite frequently and then will only sleep if I hold her, which means I don't get a lot of sleep myself!
I will post those pics when I can...still only get a short time on the computer--it's taken me three weeks just to finish this post!!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Anticipation...........
Here we are, 11pm, August 5th....I need to sleep something fierce but am way to excited to do so! Only 33 more hours, and baby will be here (or there in abouts :)!!!!
Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day...We've kept Alex home from daycare so that he can come to my last OB appointment, and be a part of that, then he'll be off to my Mom's until Friday, when they'll both go back to our house for the weekend. I need a haircut, plus we have lots of last minute things to do. We need to look at our bags for the hospital and actually pack what we'll need, not just the bare essentials that can stay in the car in case of an emergency run, plus finish cleaning the house, doing laundry, mowing the lawn, you know, the usual stuff....
It was really weird today to be out with my girlfriend and talk about how I will definitely be having a baby in less than 2 days. It seemed kind of over planned, but at the same time, it is so nice to have an end date!!! I'm really nervous about everything from the surgery to baby, to coping with life afterwards--I have a lot of mixed emotions right now. I'm scared, happy, sad, uncertain...I'm just many things at the moment! Please don't be surprised if I'm crying like a baby when I phone you all with our big news!! Knowing me, I'll be crying on a regular basis for the next 3 months ;)
I am so optimistic, though, that I went out today and bought a girl's outfit for the hospital....I figure that if we have another boy I can take it back and get something in blue instead!!! I totally cased Sears for girl's clothing...I'm glad Dan has been working lots because we are going to spend a fortune on clothes!!
There are so many thoughts running through my head...I just can't seem to turn them off. I'm really glad they gave me Ativan to help me sleep the night before!
Well, I could be here all night expressing my thoughts, so I better go get some sleep. But, I'll leave you all with this:
It's gonna be a girl, born around 8:45am, and I think she's gonna weigh 8lbs 7oz, be 20 inches long, and have one very big head, just like her brother!!! Let's see if I'm right..............
Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day...We've kept Alex home from daycare so that he can come to my last OB appointment, and be a part of that, then he'll be off to my Mom's until Friday, when they'll both go back to our house for the weekend. I need a haircut, plus we have lots of last minute things to do. We need to look at our bags for the hospital and actually pack what we'll need, not just the bare essentials that can stay in the car in case of an emergency run, plus finish cleaning the house, doing laundry, mowing the lawn, you know, the usual stuff....
It was really weird today to be out with my girlfriend and talk about how I will definitely be having a baby in less than 2 days. It seemed kind of over planned, but at the same time, it is so nice to have an end date!!! I'm really nervous about everything from the surgery to baby, to coping with life afterwards--I have a lot of mixed emotions right now. I'm scared, happy, sad, uncertain...I'm just many things at the moment! Please don't be surprised if I'm crying like a baby when I phone you all with our big news!! Knowing me, I'll be crying on a regular basis for the next 3 months ;)
I am so optimistic, though, that I went out today and bought a girl's outfit for the hospital....I figure that if we have another boy I can take it back and get something in blue instead!!! I totally cased Sears for girl's clothing...I'm glad Dan has been working lots because we are going to spend a fortune on clothes!!
There are so many thoughts running through my head...I just can't seem to turn them off. I'm really glad they gave me Ativan to help me sleep the night before!
Well, I could be here all night expressing my thoughts, so I better go get some sleep. But, I'll leave you all with this:
It's gonna be a girl, born around 8:45am, and I think she's gonna weigh 8lbs 7oz, be 20 inches long, and have one very big head, just like her brother!!! Let's see if I'm right..............
Saturday, August 1, 2009
impetigo photos
This is the worst it got, and these still look good! These were all over his chest and back, and some of the smaller ones you see used to be this big. Just imagine them looking fire-engine red with a crust over top from the oozing.. not pretty!
These smaller ones are currently on his chest, but are about the size and color of the ones that were all over his face..His face has pretty much cleared up now. I wish I had taken a picture when he first broke out so you could see how bad it was.......
This is on Alex's shoulder, and again is about half the size it was, and not anywhere near as red and crusty. His left elbow is sporting one about the same size and stage, which is where this all started...He had a bit of eczema in his elbow that got infected, then he spread it to anything he scratched open.It's kind of shiny because of the cream I put on it.
This is just a pic of Alex in his bed. Tonight he fell asleep while eating dinner he was so tired..He actually was in bed by 6:15!!! Normally it's 9:30 by the time he's asleep with the heat and his poo ritual... He's almost too long for his toddler bed already!!
The calm before the storm....
We are frantically trying to prepare for the birth of our little one, which as of today is only 5 days from now!! However, it has been difficult since the entire month of July was full of appointments. If you look at my calendar for July, every weekday has an appointment written in, and then there are even a few things on the weekends too! Between me and Alex, we have been quite busy, and since I haven't been able to drive for abut the last 2 weeks, Dan has been quite busy too.
We finally got Dan to the doctor about his cholesterol, which, according to the doctor, was quite impressive, and the worst he has ever seen (my doctor graduated in 1989, so in 20 years, that's pretty amazing). The doctor figures that there is no way that Dan did it to himself (of course, sine I had my cholesterol checked and it was excellent, and we eat the same foods), and that genetics has a role in it too. Dan's mom had high cholesterol, and since Dan is part native, that also puts him at risk for hearty disease (and diabetes). So, Dan now takes lipitor and a baby aspirin once a day to prevent strokes and decrease his cholesterol. We also have to make some major changes in our eating (mainly not eating out so much), and lose some weight. He has been really good about his eating since I told him about his cholesterol, and has even lost a little weight. Now to just keep it up!!
Alex has been ding really well this last month. We went to the pediatrician who ordered some labwork, and when we went on Friday to have it done, they pulled out about 15 vials that they needed to fill. Dan started to panic because he thought Alex would pass out from losing all that blood, but they reassured him that Alex would be fine. After the whole production of getting him ready, they realized that one of the tests has to be sent out right away, and their courier had already left for the day. So, we have to take him back on Monday to have his bloodwork done. Gotta love Mission Hospital!
As for his speech and hearing, we have another hearing test booked for the middle of August, just to get the parts they missed the first time. I don't think he has a problem with his hearing---he can hear just fine when he wants to! We went a speech therapy drop in on the 24th, and had the infant development program come in to assess him on the 27th. There is no question he needs speech therapy, but they gave us some great tips on how to get him to talk. So far, it's working! He has picked up some more of the words he lost, and even learned some new ones. He now knows how to say jump, and spoon. Although, jump comes out as "juh", and spoon as "spoo". He also started saying "I know", but we're not sure if he means "I know" or if he means "oh no". The big things that they told us to do was to talk everything out--If he's turning the light on and off (which he loves to do), then we say "light turns on, light turns off" every time he does it. We also are not supposed to ask questions like "can you say car?" or "what are you doing?" because if he can't answer, then that leads to frustration, which he doesn't learn from. Finally, the last big tip they gave us was to incorporate words into his play, like saying "jump" when he's jumping---this is how he learned to say jump. He was jumping on our bed, and we kept saying "Jump! Jump! Jump!" and now when he does it, he says jump, jump, jump himself. The infant development program is coming back at the end of August, once we get settled with the baby, and will work with us and Alex a bit more. What I like about all this is that we are expected to be equal participants in Alex's care (which we should be), but I know there are people out there who wouldn't be.
Alex also had a run in with sickness this last week...Alex has had eczema since about April, and we've been battling it quite well with creams that the pediatrician gave us. When we had this heatwave (don't get me started on that), he had a little breakout, which is no big deal, except he managed to scratch it and get it infected. I know how he didd it too....Alex has takien to poo-painting. Yes, poo-painting! He has this weird bedtime thing...We put him to bed, he poos, we change him, then he goes to sleep. Well, if you don't catch him, he digs, then you find it everywhere. I mean, everywhere! One night it was in the carpet, over his books, the back of the door, the walls, the bed, his dresser.....I was NOT happy that night! But then, if you make a big deal, he'll keep doing it. So, I figure he was painting, and while we do our best to clean him up, I'm sure there was a little under his nails and that's how he got all infected. He ended up with impetigo, and it spread like wild-fire all over his body. He was covered in blister-like lesions, oozing, itching, and looked nasty, especially the ones on his face. So, he's been home from daycare all week and n antibiotics to get it all cleared up. I wanted to take a before and after pic, but keep forgetting the camera in the car, so I'll post a pic from today, which looks amazingly good compared to what it was.........
As for me, a week and a half ago I was put on strict bedrest, which I have adhered to most of the time. I do get antsy and will do more than I should, but I almost always know when I have because I am exhausted afterwards. On Sunday night I had a wicked headache, and then monday and tuesday I was so swollen I couldn't feel my hands or feet. When I went to the doctor on Wed., my BP had shot up and I had noticed that baby was really quiet compared to normal, so they doctor sent me to the hospital for a non-stress test. Everything was fine, and I had another one this am (which was also fine), so I go again on Tuesday for one final one before baby is born. If there are any major issues, then baby will have to born earlier than friday, but as of now friday is still the big day!! The wonderful part of all of this, is that Langley has changed how they did c-sections. It used to be that planned or not, all c-sections were done in the OR, and while Mom was being stitched up baby and Dad went up the nursery for weighing etc. Mom then went to recovery, and then upstairs. When Alex was born, he was born at 5:33am, and I didn't get upstairs to be with him until almost 8am...Quite a long time to have to wait to see your baby!!! For a while now, they have been trying something new--planned c-sections are done on the maternity floor in their high-risk room, with Mom and baby going into recovery together. The only time you are apart from baby is while you are being stitched and baby is being checked out in the nursery--maybe 20 minutes max. Once you are ready to go to your room, Mom, Dad, and babe all go together. The only other catch is staffing...If they can't find an extra anethetist or PAR staff, you have to go to the OR and the old way kicks in. Turns out, the only day in all of August that they can staff the high-risk room is the day I'm having my c-section! I'm really, really happy about this because I think the major reason that breastfeeding failed with Alex was because he needed to be fed right away due to low blood sugar, and I wasn't there to feed him. So, he got a bottle, and it was all downhill from there..
So, I am starting to get anxious about this little one's arrival, but I am happy I chose to book a c-section. I have been through it before, I know what to expect, and frankly, I don't think I could handle going overdue again....I'm going nuts just having to wait this long for baby!!! I love that we don't know what we are having, because that is what I'm looking forward to--finding out who this little one is! I thought I was having a boy with Alex, and I was right--I think I'm having a girl this time, so we'll see if I'm right again! I know you all are wondering about names, so, if it's a girl: Katherine Ann Elaine Kubb; if it's a boy: either David Benjamin Kubb or Benjamin David Kubb...We're not sure yet.
Stay tuned!!!
We finally got Dan to the doctor about his cholesterol, which, according to the doctor, was quite impressive, and the worst he has ever seen (my doctor graduated in 1989, so in 20 years, that's pretty amazing). The doctor figures that there is no way that Dan did it to himself (of course, sine I had my cholesterol checked and it was excellent, and we eat the same foods), and that genetics has a role in it too. Dan's mom had high cholesterol, and since Dan is part native, that also puts him at risk for hearty disease (and diabetes). So, Dan now takes lipitor and a baby aspirin once a day to prevent strokes and decrease his cholesterol. We also have to make some major changes in our eating (mainly not eating out so much), and lose some weight. He has been really good about his eating since I told him about his cholesterol, and has even lost a little weight. Now to just keep it up!!
Alex has been ding really well this last month. We went to the pediatrician who ordered some labwork, and when we went on Friday to have it done, they pulled out about 15 vials that they needed to fill. Dan started to panic because he thought Alex would pass out from losing all that blood, but they reassured him that Alex would be fine. After the whole production of getting him ready, they realized that one of the tests has to be sent out right away, and their courier had already left for the day. So, we have to take him back on Monday to have his bloodwork done. Gotta love Mission Hospital!
As for his speech and hearing, we have another hearing test booked for the middle of August, just to get the parts they missed the first time. I don't think he has a problem with his hearing---he can hear just fine when he wants to! We went a speech therapy drop in on the 24th, and had the infant development program come in to assess him on the 27th. There is no question he needs speech therapy, but they gave us some great tips on how to get him to talk. So far, it's working! He has picked up some more of the words he lost, and even learned some new ones. He now knows how to say jump, and spoon. Although, jump comes out as "juh", and spoon as "spoo". He also started saying "I know", but we're not sure if he means "I know" or if he means "oh no". The big things that they told us to do was to talk everything out--If he's turning the light on and off (which he loves to do), then we say "light turns on, light turns off" every time he does it. We also are not supposed to ask questions like "can you say car?" or "what are you doing?" because if he can't answer, then that leads to frustration, which he doesn't learn from. Finally, the last big tip they gave us was to incorporate words into his play, like saying "jump" when he's jumping---this is how he learned to say jump. He was jumping on our bed, and we kept saying "Jump! Jump! Jump!" and now when he does it, he says jump, jump, jump himself. The infant development program is coming back at the end of August, once we get settled with the baby, and will work with us and Alex a bit more. What I like about all this is that we are expected to be equal participants in Alex's care (which we should be), but I know there are people out there who wouldn't be.
Alex also had a run in with sickness this last week...Alex has had eczema since about April, and we've been battling it quite well with creams that the pediatrician gave us. When we had this heatwave (don't get me started on that), he had a little breakout, which is no big deal, except he managed to scratch it and get it infected. I know how he didd it too....Alex has takien to poo-painting. Yes, poo-painting! He has this weird bedtime thing...We put him to bed, he poos, we change him, then he goes to sleep. Well, if you don't catch him, he digs, then you find it everywhere. I mean, everywhere! One night it was in the carpet, over his books, the back of the door, the walls, the bed, his dresser.....I was NOT happy that night! But then, if you make a big deal, he'll keep doing it. So, I figure he was painting, and while we do our best to clean him up, I'm sure there was a little under his nails and that's how he got all infected. He ended up with impetigo, and it spread like wild-fire all over his body. He was covered in blister-like lesions, oozing, itching, and looked nasty, especially the ones on his face. So, he's been home from daycare all week and n antibiotics to get it all cleared up. I wanted to take a before and after pic, but keep forgetting the camera in the car, so I'll post a pic from today, which looks amazingly good compared to what it was.........
As for me, a week and a half ago I was put on strict bedrest, which I have adhered to most of the time. I do get antsy and will do more than I should, but I almost always know when I have because I am exhausted afterwards. On Sunday night I had a wicked headache, and then monday and tuesday I was so swollen I couldn't feel my hands or feet. When I went to the doctor on Wed., my BP had shot up and I had noticed that baby was really quiet compared to normal, so they doctor sent me to the hospital for a non-stress test. Everything was fine, and I had another one this am (which was also fine), so I go again on Tuesday for one final one before baby is born. If there are any major issues, then baby will have to born earlier than friday, but as of now friday is still the big day!! The wonderful part of all of this, is that Langley has changed how they did c-sections. It used to be that planned or not, all c-sections were done in the OR, and while Mom was being stitched up baby and Dad went up the nursery for weighing etc. Mom then went to recovery, and then upstairs. When Alex was born, he was born at 5:33am, and I didn't get upstairs to be with him until almost 8am...Quite a long time to have to wait to see your baby!!! For a while now, they have been trying something new--planned c-sections are done on the maternity floor in their high-risk room, with Mom and baby going into recovery together. The only time you are apart from baby is while you are being stitched and baby is being checked out in the nursery--maybe 20 minutes max. Once you are ready to go to your room, Mom, Dad, and babe all go together. The only other catch is staffing...If they can't find an extra anethetist or PAR staff, you have to go to the OR and the old way kicks in. Turns out, the only day in all of August that they can staff the high-risk room is the day I'm having my c-section! I'm really, really happy about this because I think the major reason that breastfeeding failed with Alex was because he needed to be fed right away due to low blood sugar, and I wasn't there to feed him. So, he got a bottle, and it was all downhill from there..
So, I am starting to get anxious about this little one's arrival, but I am happy I chose to book a c-section. I have been through it before, I know what to expect, and frankly, I don't think I could handle going overdue again....I'm going nuts just having to wait this long for baby!!! I love that we don't know what we are having, because that is what I'm looking forward to--finding out who this little one is! I thought I was having a boy with Alex, and I was right--I think I'm having a girl this time, so we'll see if I'm right again! I know you all are wondering about names, so, if it's a girl: Katherine Ann Elaine Kubb; if it's a boy: either David Benjamin Kubb or Benjamin David Kubb...We're not sure yet.
Stay tuned!!!
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