sprout

Eleanor joins the rest of the family....

....over on the Hunt Family Connection blog. Since she is here now, all updates will happen over there.

I'm trying to update when I can and get all of the pictures we've been taking uploaded to share. Keep checking back there to see what's new!

She has arrived!

I have to laugh that my last post ended with a comment about people reminding me that this baby could come any time, and then the very next day she came!

The night before was a very rough one with Graham. He went to bed, but woke up after awhile and did not want to go back to sleep....for hours! He was in and out of his room, in and out of ours, and just acting like he would never sleep. He finally fell asleep in the wee hours of the morning, but no one got a good night of sleep. I joked that the only way this could get worse would be if I went into labor while we were this tired out....apparently I was asking for it!

The next morning I got up with Graham and kind of got the sense that something had happened. I was a little leaky, but wasn't entirely convinced that my water had broken. As I was getting ready for our doctor appointment, I experienced a more certain sign that my water had indeed broken. I called the office and they said we should come in for our appointment as planned. I had a feeling we would be going to the hospital from there, so I got our bags and things all ready to go while Wil called Pa-Paw to come and get Graham. I kept thinking of things that we hadn't gotten done yet and as we were getting in the truck I remembered we hadn't installed the infant carseat yet. We threw what we had into the back of the truck and headed out to our appointment.

Even though my water had broken, I wasn't having any contractions. We met with the doctor, she confirmed what we already knew, and we decided to head to the hospital to start inducing labor as soon as possible. We got to the hospital and up to our room by about 11:30am.

Let me take just a minute to show you the lobby of the hospital...

Ummmm, right.  If I didn't know better, I would have thought we were checking into some sort of lodge-like resort.  The hospital just moved to this location and opened up last summer (I think) so we were looking forward to putting the new facility to use!

We were there for quite awhile before they induced the labor. An especially unpleasant moment was the failed attempt at starting my IV. The nurse couldn't quite get it done, so she had a call in a specialist. The specialist was amazing - sure wish we would have called her right away! They finally got the pitocin started at about 1:30pm, and by 2:30 I was in active labor. I spent some time in the jacuzzi tub in the room and worked through about 2 hours worth of contractions. They started coming faster and I was getting tired, so I asked for them to start the epidural when I got out of the tub. A very kind and funny man answered the call to come so quickly that it caught my nurse by surprise. It didn't take too long before the pain from the contractions was very manageable.

Dr. Haugen was at the hospital to perform a scheduled c-section and she came in to see how I was doing before she went in to do the procedure. At that point I was about 4cm dilated and didn't feel like anything was going to happen too soon. I'm not really sure how much later it was, but Dr. Haugen was still in surgery when I started to feel the urge to push. The nurse stayed with me while we "labored down" to wait for Dr. Haugen. She came as soon as she could, but it feels like we waited for at least a half hour (this is where things were a little blurry!)

Once she did arrive in the room, things moved pretty quickly. She and the nurse got everything set up, the spotlights were turned on, and it was time to push! With just one contraction and push, the head came out and Dr. Haugen asked me to hold on while she cleaned out the mouth. One more push and the rest of her came right out! She started to make some noises and they put her right on my chest. She was ooooohh so tiny and the tiniest little round head!

Wil and I enjoyed getting to know and made some phone calls to family while Dr. Haugen finished up her work. She was with us a long time before they took her around the room to attend to various tasks - health assessments, measurements, and a bath. 

Eleanor Elizabeth Hunt was born on August 28, 2009, at 7:32pm. She weighed 6lbs 7.6oz. and was 19 inches long.

All of her numbers were well within the average range so we were thrilled to see that she appeared to be healthy. Ellie seemed very interested in nursing, so we gave that a try - it looked like she was really going to pick up on it quickly. By the time we got through all of the necessary tasks, the cafeteria was closed so I sent Wil out to get us a fast food dinner. After finishing that, I was encouraged to get up and start moving around a bit so we could move on to our next room.

We ended up in a room on the pediatrics floor because it was so busy on the mother/baby unit. It was hard to get much sleep between the excitement and all of the check-ins from staff. I think I managed to get a couple hours here and there.

Eleanor's early arrival was very unexpected, but an incredible thrill. We were so happy to see her here all safe, sound and healthy!

38 Weeks and a Craving

So I don't really have major cravings while pregnant. When I was pregnant with Graham there was one day when I just really wanted movie theater popcorn and actually went to get some - just walked up to the concession stand to get the popcorn and then left with it...no movie thanks :)

The other night I couldn't stop thinking about McDonalds' apple pies...so I went to get a couple.

 

That's my big baby belly sneaking into the bottom of the picture there - I could have cropped it out, but it kind of strikes me funny.

We're coming up on the end of week 38 and things seem to be going well. I am a little uncomfortable and it's hard to work around the belly at times, but I'm not really at a point where I just can't wait any longer. I imagine that point is coming though - all part of the process! 

Here's what babygaga.com says about week 38:

As you know, you've arrived at the final leg of your pregnancy journey, and if you're still carrying your little love around, they've just about reached their birth weight (somewhere between 6 to 8 pounds is average depending on whether they're a boy or girl). There really isn't a lot to report on baby this week, so lets do a quick recount of where we're at: all internal organ systems are pretty much ready for the outside world, they've got their meconium stockpile building up (their first black baby poo), lots of healthy baby fat, a rapidly developing brain (that'll keep growing with them for years to come), and they've more or less reached official baby status-- all they need to do is "head out" and say hello to the rest of the world and especially their ready-to-pop momma.Hang in there momma, it's only a matter of time before the obnoxious and painful fake contractions you felt in your back, lower belly, and pelvic region will be replaced by real contractions... which are even more obnoxious and painful. You'll know when the real ones kick in because they're more intensely painful (woo!) and they spread over the entire uterus, through the lower back and into your pelvis.

If you're having trouble sleeping (which about 100% of women in this phase of pregnancy are), try to take little catnaps during the day, get one of those neato full-body pregnancy pillows, or at least lots of pillows that you can shove between your legs and under your belly to support your awkward shape more comfortably.

We have a doctor appointment tomorrow morning so should have more to report about how much closer we might be to labor - as everyone keeps reminding me...she could come any time now!

Ultrasound and Dr. Appointment

Well I really thought I would have a picture to put in this post, but no such luck. The word "stubborn" was used to describe this baby a couple of times during our ultrasound appointment yesterday!

We had a different sonogram tech than usual, and she had a hard time getting the baby in a position where she could get the measurements that she needed, much less any "fun" pictures for us. We didn't get a look at Sprout's face (she had a hand covering it much of the time) and she couldn't even get a good view of the "parts" to confirm that it is indeed a little girl! She was moving quite a bit though and started to push back - at one point kicking hard enough for the tech to feel the ultrasound wand thingy move in her hand! Wil commented that she may be inheriting my "bubble of calm" and felt we were getting a little too close to it :)

With the measurements that she did take, the tech shared that her guess (emphasis on GUESS) at the baby's current weight is 5lbs. 12oz. Not that I plan to make a habit of comparing my children (tee hee) but I think this really illustrates how different pregnancies can be....when we had a 38 week ultrasound with Graham, he weighed in at 8lbs. 3oz. It seems we have a petite (but fiesty!) little girl on our hands. The weight is a bit smaller than the doctor would have anticipated at this point in the pregnancy and is at the 13th percentile. There of course could be many reasons for this - the most popular one being that babies come in all shapes and sizes!

They also detected that one of the tubes leading to the kidney was dilated - this is not uncommon and could occur because the bladder is full. It appears to just be a chance thing depending on when they look at it. The dr. says that they report this finding to our pediatrician and they follow up on it after birth - most cases need no medical intervention and it just clears up on its own. They may simply request an ultrasound to check on it.

My blood pressure was up a little, but still within normal range for me (I tend to run high anyhow) and they found a little bit of protein in my urine. Nothing alarming right now, but they will keep an eye on it.

Umm - has anyone noticed that the countdown thingy on the blog says there are 15 days left until the due date??  That's like 2 weeks!! Next time we go in (a week from today) the dr. will check on my progress and see if I'm showing signs of getting closer to labor. It's funny that at this time with Graham we were talking about the possibility of an early delivery because he was getting so big. This time she mentioned that we may want to consider delivering a week early because the baby is smaller than expected.  We had scheduled a date to induce with Graham that was just a couple of days before my due date and I ended up going into labor on my own, about 3 days prior to his due date. I'm hoping that we have the same experience with Sprout, but as was our plan with Graham, we'll just go with the flow and do what we think is best given all of the information :)

It's definitely time to get serious about getting those last few necessary items together and a hospital bag packed. With school/work starting soon, time is really going to fly by us. 

Week 37 - FULL TERM!

Wow - there are times when I feel like I've been pregnant forever, and at the same time I kind of wonder how I got to this point already!

 

This is one more photo from the baby shower at Chery's house - between 36 and 37 weeks. I have mixed feelings about the end of this pregnancy. My "word" this year was PRESENT - as in being present. I knew when I chose the word that this would most likely be the last time I was pregnant and I wanted to make sure that I was taking time to enjoy it and just not wish it away.  While I am not one of those women who talk about how much they LOVE being pregnant, I will be the first to admit that my pregnancies have been relatively easy and complication-free. There is something so awesome about making a person and then knowing that little person is in there moving around....with you all of the time for 40 weeks!  It's such an amazing experience, and I think on some level I will be sad when it is over. Of course there are other times when I get tired of carrying around this extra weight and peeing 15 times/day and 3 times overnight - but I really try not to dwell on those times. 

My energy level has taken a bit of a dive, but I'm finishing up a few projects here and there to continue getting ready for Sprout's arrival. Almost all of the clothes are washed and put away, I have itty bitty diapers here and ready to be used (I can't believe how tiny they are!), and most of the gear I'll need right away is out and ready to go. I have some more laundry to do and things to put away (after getting all of that great stuff at the shower this past week), I'm hoping to make some quilt clips for the new baby quilt Mum-Mum is making for the room, and I really need to start packing a hospital bag and making a list of things I don't want to forget. She's going to be here before we know it!

Here's what Baby Gaga says about week 37...

It’s the calm before the storm. Changes in your baby's weight have leveled off with only a few ounces of fat added this week. At this point your baby should weigh in at around 7 lbs and 20 inches (with boys somewhat heavier and longer than girls). Happily, as far as internal organs go, they are now developed enough to function in the outside world although the oh-so-important immune system is still developing and will continue to do so after birth.

The infamous water breaking may or may not be your first true indicator that labor has commenced. However, water breaks for only 15% of mothers and despite what Hollywood would have us believe, is more frequently just a slow leak rather than a large gush.Be patient: if labor doesn’t start this week, or even next, keep in mind that only 4-5% of women actual deliver on their predicted due date.

We have one more ultrasound coming up on Thursday this week, so hopefully by the weekend I'll have a new picture to share :)

from my inbox...

Every day I get a little quote sent to me from StoryPeople - I wanted to put the one from today here on the blog so that I was sure to remember it :)

For a long time there were only your footprints & laughter in our dreams & even from such small things, we knew we could not wait to love you forever

Baby Shower

Chery hosted a baby shower for me and I had so much fun! I feel very lucky to have so many wonderful women in my life and it's an extra special treat when many of them come together in the same place.

One of the coolest things about the party is that my mom was able to attend, even though she's in Wisconsin. With some extensive tech support from Wil (thanks honey!) we were able to Skype with mom and she had her very own seat right there at the shower to watch me open gifts.

 

 We started with the gifts - this baby girl is definitely going to be well outfitted! I'm also really excited about the soft and pretty blankets - most of what we have is very "boyish". There will also a couple of gifts for mommy - Sarah made a beautiful "mother" wall hanging and Chery got me a gift certificate for massage (can't wait to get an appointment scheduled for my feet!)

My mom sent a very special gift - a sweater that belonged to me as a little girl. She also sent along a photo of me wearing the sweater - a favorite picture (for both of us!) of me when I was just one :)

 

After gifts we took a few pictures...

Leila, me, and Kara


Chery, me, and Sarah

...and then enjoyed cupcakes!!

We did a lot of chatting and laughing and had a really nice evening. BIG HUGE THANKS to Chery for throwing such a wonderful party and MANY THANKS to everyone that came to help celebrate the upcoming arrival of our baby girl - your support and generosity is overwhelming and so very much appreciated :)

Seeing Pink!

Now that Graham is all moved into his big boy room (and very happily so!) I was able to turn my focus to Sprout's room. I started by gathering up all of the boxes/bags of clothing I've been given for her.  I am so lucky to have several friends who passed along their baby girl clothes and I have been doing some bargain shopping at yard sales here and there to add to the collection. I ran every bit of it through the washer and dryer, and then folded and sorted it all by size and type of outfit (short sleeve, long sleeve, onesie, sleeper, etc.)  I got everything put away into the drawer and closet. I've asked Wil to move the crib mattress back up so I can reach in and out easily and will then attach the new bumper (also a yard sale find). I'm thinking about trying to make my own quilt hangers for the baby quilt Mum-Mum is making - we'll see how that turns out.  A few more splashes of pink here and there and I think the room will be ready for her. I also need to stock up on diapers - I do remember needing a lot of those :)

We had our hospital tour last week and that went well. It seemed that we were the first group allowed in for some time as much of the staff was surprised to see us there. They did mention the ban on children under the age of 12 and that upset several people in our group. The rooms and the hospital itself are really pretty. I'm excited to see some much needed improvements to the rooms - each birthing room has it's own jetted tub (at the old hospital you had to walk down the hall to one of two rooms that had tubs inside...less than ideal!), and the mother/baby rooms are now all private so there is no danger of having to share with another new mommy.  I'm also very happy to see that they have showers IN the mother/baby room now instead of having to walk across the hall to get a shower. Wil and I had dinner in the cafeteria after the tour and actually sat out on a little deck overlooking a pretty walking path. The new hospital is also quite close to our home with free parking - much more convenient (we got a parking ticket last time if you can believe it!)

I had a doctor appointment on Friday and that went well. They had a test to run and I haven't heard anything back from them so I'm going to assume that no news is good news. Dr. Haugen also let me know that they have now lifted the ban on siblings under the age of 12 at the hospital, so it looks like Graham will be able to see his baby sister at the hospital if we choose to have him come there - yay! We also talked about the swine flu again - Dr. Haugen has had three patients come down with it this summer but they all did ok after getting treated immediately. We'll cross our fingers that this is something we won't have to deal with at all.  At the end of the visit, I was given my papers...they give you this envelope with your clinic records inside to give the people when you check in at the hospital...kind of the last sign that this is really going to happen soon!  I'm supposed to drop that right into the bag I've packed for the hospital....guess I better get that bag started, huh??  I'm definitely getting both nervous and excited to meet this baby girl!  I have appointments every Friday now for the month of August, though the one on the 21st was changed to the 20th. That one will also be an ultrasound appointment so we'll get one more look to see what's going on in there, and more importantly, how big she is. 

Here is what BabyGaga.com has to say about week 36:

The countdown continues… and in fetal developments: most of the bones (soft skull aside) in their little body are now completely hardened, providing a solid structure from which they can now make their grand debut into the world. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we are structurally ready for a secure launch. In physical fitness news: their muscle tone has also improved over these past few weeks, and you’ll definitely be impressed by their steel-like Ulnar grasp (a newborn reflex that occurs if you lay your finger in their palm). Finally, in the fluids/excretion department: the amniotic fluid-to-baby ratio has fallen over these past weeks, although they’re still swallowing fluid (building up even more meconium for that historic first poop), and some vernix caseosa. They will be more than ready to swallow and digest milk after birth. Just in case you didn’t get it quite yet: you’ve got yourself an adorable and hungry 6.5 lbs 20 inch baby—are you ready?

I'm really not ready and am counting on her waiting in there for a few more weeks yet! I'm working a few days each of the next couple of weeks and do plan to return for a few days when the school year begins. I've learned these little babies are so much easier to care for on the inside, and wouldn't dream of rushing her out of there (yet!).