One Month Old

That's right! Macyn is 1 month old today! Its amazing how fast it goes, but yet while being pregnant every 4 weeks seemed like F-O-R-E-V-E-R! But our little ones grow up so fast, so here are some updates. She officially weighs 9lbs 2 oz fully clothed which puts her into the 50th percentile for her weight. Not sure of what her length is, but its in the 85th percentile. She has been starting to fill out some clothes, especially the length! We have some sleepers she is too long for, but are baggy everywhere else. So its kind of hard to find a happy medium between length and weight :)

She also likes to lay on her mat and watch her toys, and be in her swing. She likes to make baby noises when she is happy and starting to smile a little bit more. She has also been sleeping better at night (knock on wood). A few nights the past week she has been sleeping for 5-6 hours at a time. She usually goes to bed around 10:30, gets up around 4:30 and sleeps again until 7:30....this isn't the case, however, when she is on a growth spurt. She is up like clockwork every 3 hours when that happens!

On the medical side, she still is a little Jaundiced but her bilirubin level continues to go down. However, she has an elevated liver enzyme that unexpectedly jumped a little higher this past week which means her liver isn't functioning quite 100% yet. Hopefully when I bring her to the lab to do yet more bloodwork next week it will be back to normal. If not, we have to get another doctor involved. Our doctor thinks she is low risk which makes us feel a little better.

So thats pretty much our life in a nutshell. Can't wait to see what month 2 brings....but they just grow up so fast! I'm trying to enjoy our nightime feedings and cuddle sessions as much as possible.

Bathtime Fun!

Macyn got the Dr's OK to take a tub bath, so last night she got her first one. She was a little fussy before the bath, but once we put her into her tub she loved it! No crying, even when we put water on her head to wash her hair! She seemed to like the bath alot, even splashing the water with her arms (even if it was an accident)! We finished off the bath by wrapping her up in her hooded ducky towel.

Family Photos

We took our first family photos the other night and we think they turned out great! We dressed Macyn in her Christmas dress and then with just a santa hat. Once we pick out the ones we like, they will be incorporated into a Christmas card which will be sent out shortly after Thanksgiving. Macyn did a good job during the photos - never cried once! Here are some of our favorites. If you would like to see all of our proofs, just ask me for the website and password. Enjoy!

Deep in Thought, or Deep in Sleep?

2 Weeks Old

Macyn is officially 2 weeks old already! She has made some progress in the weight department. She was all the way down to 6 lbs 8 oz in the hospital, (birth weight - 7lbs 5 oz) but gained 2 oz in the hospital, was 6 lbs 14 oz at the appointment last week, and is oficially 7 lbs 6 oz today! She is back up to her birth weight which is great....it puts her into the 50th percentile for weight and her length (22") is in the 75th percentile... She is still jaundiced as we are continuing to monitor that and get it checked weekly. We had to feed her every 2 hours for a while to try and get her bilirubin levels better.

She also smiles here and there - but I never have the camera out to catch one! She also likes to lift her head and roll onto her side. She makes little noises when shes content and its so cute! She is sleeping well during the night (knock on wood)...usually goes to bed around 10-11ish, up at 3:30, 6-7, and then sleeps until about 9. Not too bad. She usually only nurses for about 15 mins during the night. She also has her crabby days and cluster feedings. She thinks shes starving and likes to eat sometimes ever hour. She has peed through a few clothes, and pooped through some yesterday. I knew that time would come but I didnt know so soon!

As for me, I am doing better. The incision is still sore but the surgeon and Dr. says it "looks good" ..........not sure how a big cut with random staple holes around it looks good, but I will take their word for it. I have been off pain meds for 2 days now - I can't drive when I am on them...so that means when I'm on my own, I don't have a driver. So I am sucking up to the pain!

I have actually lost quite a bit of weight already. According to my scale at home I have lost about 28 lbs. I only gained 30 so you do the math! But my body is definitely not the same proportions it used to be! I am sure it will take some time to get back to normal. I blame the weight loss on forgetting to eat, and my stomach shrinking. I also had to be on a clear liquid diet for 3 days in hospital, and then a toast and cracker diet for the next day..I am also recovering from surgery so not sure if that is a factor either...I get very tired quickly doing simple tasks. I just can't wait to be pain-free again and feel 100%! But nonetheless, we love our little girl, and she is totally worth it!

Have a little "Faith"

Little did we know, that I would never get to the final 10-day countdown. Macyn Faith was born at 38 weeks and 3 days. Technically, I should still be pregnant for another week or so. Crazy to think about, but we feel so blessed to have her with us! So how did everything go down? Let's start with that....

This is the last picture I have of being pregnant - 38 weeks exactly. Little did I know our little bundle of joy would be here 3 days later.

It all started with a normal appointment on Tuesday, October 13 at 11:00 AM. They did the usual stuff, and my BP had gone up. The doctor had decided to check me and I was already 3 cm and 100% effaced. Since the BP had stayed high, they decided to sent to to the hospital for a non-stress-test. During the NST, they put this thing on your tummy to listen to the baby's heartbeat, and another to measure contractions. Once you feel the baby move, you click a button and they look to make sure the baby's heartrate goes up when she moves. In the meantime, they came in to check my BP every 1/2 hour for about 3 hours. The baby looked great, and it appeared my BP was starting to go back down....until the last few times it was checked, it started to spike. I had visited with my Dr. during this time, and she discussed options such as bedrest and deliver in a week, but she was confident that being dialated that far, it would be best for my health and the baby's to just go ahead and deliver me.

So.....they decided to admit me at around 4:00 PM. I was a little overwhelmed with everything happening so fast - I wasn't even able to finish packing or install the carseat! So they starting me on an IV drip of Magnesium Sulfate for 3 hours before they would start Pitocin at around 8:00 PM. Once they started the Pit, I didn't really start having contractions at all. I was up alot of the night, just listening to our little girl's heartbeat (it is continually monitored) and they would continue to check my BP every 1/2 hour, along with checking my reflexes and temp. I also had to have a catheter since I wasnt allowed to get out of bed...at all until she was born.


So the next morning, they decided to get my contractions going by breaking my water at 10:30. This definitely started my contractions, and continued to get stronger throughout the day. I am not sure what time they started getting closer and closer together, but I knew I had to be atleast a 6-7 to get an epidural. They decided to check me because the contractions starting coming long and hard. I was only to a 5. But they decided to give me the epi anyways since I was bed-ridden, they thought that was part of the reason I wasn't getting dialated since I was never relaxed, couldnt walk around, use a birth ball, etc.

So here I am with the anesthesiologist giving me the epidural. By this time the contractions are extremely long and hard, close together. The contractions were strong at the point that the nurses and dr. thought she could possibly be delivered within the next 1/2 hour. So when I actually got the epi, my right side never got numb. Left side - good. Right side - not so much. They pumped more numbing agent into my epi to try and get my right side going - the drip was equvalent to 10x an epidural. Well my right side was numb, but I never got numb right where it counts. Still felt every contraction, never had complete relief.

After that, they decided to check me again, and never progressed any further. Macyn's head was lodged in my pelvis, face up, and they were pretty sure she would never make it through. They Dr. then decided it would be best to go ahead and give me a c-section. As they were prepping me, I threw up and got sick - I think it was just from all the emotions. So DH had to go an put on his scrubs (I told me he looked like my Mc Dreamy and the surgical team thought that was funny).....and then they started the c-section. Since I wasn't completely numb, the procedure felt like an extremely hard contraction which I had to breath through while laying on the table. A little while later, at 6:00 on Wednesday, Macyn was here, and I got to see her for the first time.We decided on the name Macyn Faith. She never had a middle name until I recieved my epi that didnt work, and we knew that Faith in itself would get up through this. There were so many prayers from Josh, myself, and whoever else was praying for us, and I think thats what kept us strong through this whole ordeal.

Just knowing us giving birth to healthy baby girl - 7lbs 5oz 22 inches long made it all worth it. She is a blessing and we love her alot. She has jaundice but thankfully yesterday the levels went back down to a somewhat better level. She still eats to eat alot to get over that. She also lost alot of weight in the hospital and as of this morning she was up to 6lbs 14oz so that is good too. Everything is looking up for us, and I am enjoying mommyhood as much as possible....now tomorrow I have to get 17 staples out of my 10 inch incision...lets hope that goes well and relieves some of the pain!

The Final Countdown!

Well, its been a while since I last posted, and I am to the point in my pregnancy where if I go into labor there isn't any stopping me! An exciting time with lots of anxiety. I have calmed myself down a little bit by just trying to take it easy. Mostly everything is put together and away, and I have begun to freeze meals. I am ready for this baby. ....except my bag isnt packed yet and the car seats aren't installed. We only have 1 baby class left, so I am finally starting to feel "ready."

But as I am ready for the baby to come, I like to reflect on those little milestones of pregnancy. Such as the first time we heard the heartbeat at 11 weeks. The first time we saw our baby in an ultrasound at 15 weeks and second time at 22. The first time I felt the baby move at around 18 weeks. Other milestones? Becoming extremely uncomfortable. Hard to sleep, bathroom breaks, heartburn, achiness, backaches, etc.

But during these last few weeks, I am trying to enjoy the baby movements, even though they sometimes hurt! I mean really, I have gone for about 20 weeks feeling the baby move everyday. In a few short weeks that will be gone when I can finally hold our little one. So as ready as I am, and tired of all the aches and pains, I am enjoying these last few weeks and feeling the baby move. Its going to be strange not having baby movements after feeling them for about 5 months straight! ...but I am more excited than ever to finally meet this little one! Hi baby! See you soon!