The birth story - part 3

After actively laboring on a pitocin drip for about 9 hours, Amy, the midwife, returned to check Lucy's cervix around midnight. We had high hopes that Lucy had progressed to 7 or 8 centimeters, and were mightily disappointed when our midwife announced that Lucy was only at 4 cm. Amy said that they would need to increase the dosage more aggressively to speed labor along. Lucy, Emme, Pat and I were all frustrated, but wanted to hold on to our goal of as natural a labor and birth as possible.

The midwife upped the dosage of pitocin, and immediately Lucy's contractions jumped in strength. We quickly elevated our comfort measures to incorporate a warm bath. Moving the remote fetal monitor, IV and pitocin drip to the bathroom, Emme and I worked to comfort Lucy by squeezing towels drenched in warm water over Lucy's abdomen and chest while she soaked. The contractions continued to get stronger and stronger, and Lucy for the first time started to moan loudly.

After a short period, Lucy brought up the prospect of an epidural as she was unsure if she would be able to handle the pain and the intense pressure to push that was accompanying these contractions for several more hours. Emme and I talked to Lucy about the great progress she must be making with these strong contractions. We agreed to page the midwife at 1:30 am to check Lucy again. If she had not progressed significantly, we would consider an epidural at that point.

That hour seemed like an eternity for all involved. When 1:30 came, Lucy was at her wit's end, but was hopeful of progress. Unfortunately, she had only moved a centimeter in that time - normally good progress, but under the painful conditions, not enough to give us confidence that Lucy would have enough energy left to go the next 5 cm, not to mention pushing.

Lucy and I talked, in the 1 minute intervals between contractions, and decided that an epidural was our best option at that point. Our hope was that it would provide enough relief for her to rest for the first time in roughly 24 hours, but provide enough sensation so that she would be able to feel the contractions when it was time to push. The midwife paged the anesthesiologist while Emme and I helped get Lucy out of the bath.

Sam's big day out

Getting ready for some errands. Sam is a little dubious about today's adventure.

First stop, Potbelly's Sandwich Works so Mom can get her fix. Then a stop at BabiesRUs for some exchanges and returns (not pictured).

Next up, the long awaited trip to Bed, Bath and Beyond where we did NOT buy the trash can we had on hold.

The last stop was at Target for a quick feeding, a change of diapers (and clothes) and some bulk shopping. Finally, we headed for home, a little tired, but no worse for the wear.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all of our family and friends.
Much love from Chris, Lucy and Sam

The birth story - part 2

We roused ourselves at about 9 am on Sunday and both showered. Lucy's contractions from the night before had subsided so we took our time getting going. We got to the hospital at about 11 am, checked in at admitting and went up to PETU (Pediatric Triage Unit).

After being hooked up to a fetal monitor, our midwife Amy came in to check on mom and the baby. Lucy was 1 cm dilated, 60-70% effaced and the baby was low in a +1 position. Amy wanted to induce labor by putting Lucy on a Pitocin drip because it had been 12 hours since her water broke. Lucy and I talked to the midwife about our desire for a natural child birth and to avoid medications as much as possible. Amy agreed to let us try some natural methods of kick starting labor and moved us to our birthing room.

Once in the room, our nurse Traci hooked Lucy up to a portable fetal monitor (the only one in the ward) so that Lucy could walk around. Lucy and I paced the room for a few hours all the while stimulating Lucy's nipples and watching the fetal monitor for contractions. Pretty soon we began seeing (and feeling) fairly regular contractions and were pretty excited that things were beginning. It was around that time that Lucy's mom, Pat, and our doula, Emme, arrived. We talked about our options and waited for the midwife to check in.

The midwife returned around 3 pm and checked Lucy. She said that while Lucy was experiencing regular contractions and the baby was low, they were not strong enough to be considered active labor. The midwife felt that a Pitocin drip was now needed, but agreed to take things slow to see if Lucy's natural system kicked in on its own. We agreed, and Lucy was hooked up to an IV and Pitocin drip.

Nearly immediately, Lucy's contractions became more frequent and greater in strength. It became more difficult for her to walk through the contractions, and she had to concentrate more and rely on her comfort measures. Emme, Pat and I took turns massaging Lucy, walking with her, and feeding her ice chips. Over the course of the next few hours, Lucy's contractions would continue to get stronger and stronger, while remaining consistently about 1 - 1.5 minutes apart. While painful and exhausting, with little time for rest in between, we were confident we were making good progress.

Friday morning with Sam (video)

The birth story - part 1

It was nearly one week ago, last Saturday at midnight to be precise, while I was busy playing an exciting game of Civ IV on the computer, that I heard Lucy exclaim from upstairs, "Honey, I think my bag of waters is leaking."

"Are you sure?" I yelled up the stairs. "Well, I could have peed myself in my sleep, I'm not sure," she responded. Minutes later the first gush gushed and we knew for sure.

We should have known things were about to begin. Earlier that day, while trying to relax - Lucy was still on modified bed rest - she decided that she needed to put together the baby's cosleeper in his bedroom, organize the baby's clothing, sheets, etc, and basically busy herself with picking up the house. That was the first clue - a heightened nesting instinct. That evening, we watched the movie "Elf." Very funny and a little touching, but not one of your more heart wrenching films starring Will Ferrell. Anyway, instead of laughing, Lucy cried during it. Clue #2 - heightened emotions. But in honesty we both missed these clues, so when her water broke, we were both in a bit of shock.

A quick call to the midwife and doula and we set a plan to show up at the hospital the next morning if Lucy was not already in active labor. I proceeded to finish packing the birth bag which was nearly complete, just threw in some toiletries and clementine oranges. I had had a hunch that things were becoming a little imminent so I had already packed most of the clothes for Lucy, Sam and myself as well as snacks and labor relief items.

Lucy was having some contractions that were stronger than the previous week's, and they kept her up for several hours. I knew I would need my rest to be ready for the next day, so I left my wife "laboring" downstairs while I went up to bed. I slept like a log. Lucy's contractions continued for several hours before subsiding around 4 am allowing her to catch a little shut eye as well.

Happy Birth-something, Sam

Hooray! Sam is 100 hours old!

Favorite pic of the day

Taken by Auntie Annie on Dec 19, 2007

Pictures!

Of Sam's first day can be found here.

First morning home

Lucy, Sam and I returned from the hospital last night and enjoyed our first night together as a family in our home. Lucy and Sam are getting the hang of feeding, while I am learning the importance of burping. We awoke this morning to a beautiful new dusting of snow outside, and Mommy and Sam had a big feeding and then some quiet bonding time while Daddy dozed. Now it is Lucy's turn for a nap while Sam sleeps. I get to catch up on some chores and ponder the wonders of fatherhood. Who new one's life could change so wonderfully so quickly. I'll post more pictures soon.

Meet Sam

Samuel Greenwood Jones

Born Dec 17, 2007 at 10:19 am
Weighed 6 lbs 11 oz
20" in length

Week 34

Week 34 was an exciting week. It began with a new boiler being put into the basement and ended with Lucy 50% effaced and under "house arrest." To put it simply, we had a new boiler installed last Wednesday. That night, because the house was full of soot (another story), Lucy and I stayed over at Pat & Ron's. Lucy got home late and was experiencing some contractions. I drew a bath to relax Lucy only to discover that the bath filled in with hair and gravel residue (not due to an unclean bath, only unused pipes). Anyway, we drew a new bath, but the Rollins' hot water heater could only do so much. Pat and Ron took turns boiling water.

To make a long story longer, the contractions did not let up on Thursday and when Lucy got home we tried another bath, this time at our house. Well, our hot water heater couldn't even handle that so I was the one boiling water this time. Neadless to say, the contractions still didn't let up so we headed to the clinic on Friday morning. Several hours of monitoring later, Lucy was diagnosed with a bacterial infection and given antibiotics.

We went home and had a fine weekend preparing for the baby, a little more confident that we had things under control. That was until the contractions returned late Saturday and all-day Sunday. So, 6am Monday morning we were off to the hospital. 7 more hours of monitoring and the midwives put Lucy on what I call house arrest, essentially bed rest without having to really stay in bed.

Since then, Lucy has spent the days at home, transitioned her work stuff off to others, and basically has developed a case of mild cabin fever. We visited our midwife again today for a pre-scheduled check up and everything seemed well. Lucy is semi-effaced, but her contractions have diminished and the midwife felt fairly confident in the baby sticking it out until full term (2 more weeks!).

Anyway, that was week 34. I wonder what week 35 has in store...

Thanksgiving pics

As I mentioned, Thanksgiving was a blast. Here are some pics.

4 Generations

Grandma Debby

A quite moment alone

New Boiler!

Before

After

Pre-turkey belly

The belly continues to grow! Here is a picture from Nov 16th. I'll post a post-turkey belly in a few. BTW - the midwife said yesterday that she estimated baby to be 5 1/2 pounds already!


Bonus pic of Lucy and baby bonding on the couch.

Interesting week

Okay, so an update...
We were in Kansas City for thanksgiving and had a blast. Saw our extended family on Chris' Mom's side... ate lots of turkey, cheered for KU football, got spoiled with baby goodies. When we got home Sunday night a long LONG week began. I had a big presentation that week and 12-13 hour work days... plus a cold I'd caught! Ugh. Then to top it off our boiler was to be swapped out but ended up we had to go without any heat for a day and board at my mom & dad's Wednesday night. I started having mild contractions pretty frequently. We were all up until 1am trying to calm them down and finally I was able to go to sleep. Big presentation on Thursday with brain and body mush! Ugh, what long day... then out for a late business dinner. Contractions started up frequently again middle of the night... Chris and I still working on slowing them and talking with the midwives. Didn't get much sleep needless to say! Friday morning we went into the clinic and they ran tests and such... discovered that I was 50% effaced at only 34 weeks and were not sure why. Then later a test result came back that said I had a bacterial infection causing the contractions... they gave me a mild drug to slow them down and antibiotics to get rid of the infection. When contractions slowed the baby moved higher up and I was less effaced... and midwife said since we found the reason and can stop it that we could well go full term or even past due date. Hurray! So baby is still in my belly and all is well. A few more weeks would do us all well! And let's just say that I'm writing this entry in bed with Chris next to me at 11:00am on Saturday... with no plans to get up and be productive any time soon.

Halloween!

Munchkin's first Halloween, albeit in the womb, was fun and in costume! Check out Lucy and Munchkin working together to make a perfect Dr. Suess Star-bellied Sneetch (Munchkin is the Sneetch belly).


And here's the rest of the frightful gang.

Long overdue pic

Ok, so I've fallen down on the blog a little over the last two months. Here is a pic of Lucy from September sporting a new belly!

School

Lucy and I are taking a birthing class and had our second session last night. I learned all about the various phases of labor, watched a video that scared the pants off of me, and then practices breathing and relaxation techniques. All in all, it was a lot like my Strategic Finance course in business school but with pillows.

BTW, the baby is 29 1/2 weeks old. This whole birth thing is gettin' closer!

Strollers

Well, today we went shopping. We did our homework on strollers and infant car seats. Hoo boy, there is a lot to learn. I guess that is what the final trimester is all about. That's right, this week we officially hit 6 months. Mom and baby are doing great. Dad is starting to get a little nervous. Here is my current checklist:
Paint baby room - check
Learn about strollers - check
Take out the trash - tomorrow
Become a dad - umm... still working on that one.

At least I know the different between a Quinny and a Chicco.

Everything is A OK

Had a midwife visit last week and everything is great. Mom and baby are both growing nicely (new belly picture to be posted soon). This weekend we started prepping the baby's room for a new coat of paint. We also met with a contractor to start a basement renovation. We need more space! Finally, we've been working hard on the names and have them narrowed down quite a bit - check them out in the side column.

Still here

Haven't posted much recently because, well, we've been busy. Went to the the river with friends a couple of weeks ago. Said friends re-named Munchkin "Chip", at least until a permanent name is decided. Lucy and "Chip" are in Hartford, CT this week and I'm holding down the fort. More later.

State Fair!

Bratwurst, Ribbon Fries, Pickle on a Stick, Honey Ice Cream, Pronto Pup (corn dog), Mini Donuts, and all you can drink Milk. That is what Lucy and the baby consumed on Saturday at the MN State Fair. Check out Lucy with her delectable Pronto Pup covered with mustard. Mmmm...

As promised...

More pics! These were taken at our last ultrasound when Munchkin was 19 weeks and 6 days old.

Put up your dukes! Munchkin gets ready to strike Mommy's tummy


Munchkin deep in thought. Notice the fingers resting on his/her chest.


Count em, 5 toes! Do you think they are elf toes?

More names!

As promised I have added more names to our list. Please tell us which you love, which you hate, and which you have weird weird associations with that you just can't get over. And tell us your own ideas for names (except G-Ron. FYI: No, "Hoar" is not a good name just because it would make our little girl - if that's what it is - tough. but thanks anyway.).

And the envelope please...

Today was our second ultrasound (pics coming any day, promise) and everything went well. The little one put on a nice show of waving to the camera, er... ultrasound thingy, and sure has grown. We could see all his/her fingers and toes! As for the gender, we decided not to find out (for now), but had the ultrasound technician put the verdict in a sealed envelope. Any bets on how long it stays sealed?

Week 19

Met with the midwife on Wednesday and everything is going great. She confirmed that Lucy (and I) likely have been feeling the baby move and kick (not gas). Next week's ultrasound will likely confirm that as we will see the baby move and feel it at the same time.

The midwife also put to rest our concerns about the contractions Lucy had been experiencing over the last two weeks. All part of a normal pregnancy and Lucy appears to be "more in-tune with her uterus" than average. All in all, she and the little one couldn't be doing any better, though I'm a little jealous that I'm not "more in-tune" with some internal part of my body.

Also on Wednesday, we awoke at 4am to a bat in our bedroom. That is an ominous sign and I'm beginning to wonder if our beautiful baby may be in fact a vampire. Also, now I need to get the bat guy to come in and inspect our attic and clear out any unintended pets. We also found that if you call abat "squeekers," it really isn't that scary afterall.

Final note: as I mentioned above, next week is our next ultrasound. We still haven't decided whether we will find out the gender or not (that's on our weekend to-do list). One thing you can bet on, however, is that there will be new pictures posted here! :)

Entry from Lucy!

Believe it or not, I am finally contributing to our baby's blog! I feel a little bit like my grandma getting a cell phone... this whole texting/blogging/new age thing is really quite futuristic I tell you!

Anyhoo.

First off I want to give my love and thanks to all our family and friends out there who have shared in our good news and have been so wonderful. It's really quite a joyous time and it makes it that much greater to share with all of you.

Second, some random but very important notes:

1. Chris has been selective in his listing of names (anybody suprised at his backhanded ways?). I assure you I will work on adding more shortly.
2. On the names topic... I came up with a GREAT one today and Chris shockingly slapped it away. Anybody who knows him will be as saddened as I was at the irony. I suggested "Luke" if it's a boy. Then he can say for the rest of his life "Luuuuke, I'm your faather". How could HE of all people not like that. Something weird is going on.
3. Trust me I've always known I've had a special knack for flakiness. I'm really quite proud of it. But this whole pregnancy thing has really stepped it up a notch - and trust me it's quite entertaining even to me. For example - while we were on vacation this last week, I was walking up to my hotel room with my sis Annie and realized I didn't have the keys or my cell to call Chris. Darn! We were going to have to go find Chris and get them from him. We walked past my hotel room, found Chris, and returned. Only then did I realize that I didn't need my key because the cleaning lady was in our room with the door wide open... and that she had been there when we walked by the first time (note: no blame on Annie as she didn't know which room we were in). I remembered then that when we walked by intially I had thought to myself "oh, maybe it's good we have to go get the keys because the cleaning lady is in our room right now and I don't want to bother her!". I've decided this is all happening because Baby Munchkin is taking all my smarts... that baby is going to be one little genius (no laughing)!
4. Chris, you made the best Chili last night.
   

Back from Maine

Yesterday we returned from a week-long trip to Maine where we attended a beautiful wedding on Peaks Island off of Portland. Then it was half a week at Poland Springs, known for its shuffle board and bingo. The big news of the trip is that Lucy thinks she felt the first kicks of our baby. I may have even felt one last night when we returned home. It was really exciting to think of our little guy (or gal) in there exercising those leg muscles. We've got an appointment with midwife next week and will ask if she think those were in fact kicks or just gas. Stay tuned!

Belly check

Here is Lucy and Munchkin at about 15 1/2 weeks. You can just see a little belly starting to form. Hee hee.

Power of blogs

When I started this blog, I intended it to be viewed mostly by friends and family. For the most part it has, but I did receive a comment a couple of weeks ago from a complete stranger. I thought that was great and was excited about the idea of random people reading about our baby. Turns out this woman has a blog of her own and was pregnant too. I checked her blog a few times over the past couple of weeks and even posted a comment of my own.

Well I was saddened tonight to read in her blog that her baby did not make it. This really touched me. I don't know who this woman is or where she's lives, but I mourn the loss of her baby. I'm sure much of it has to do with the empathy I feel towards her and her husband in dealing with this loss, and the fear I have of something happening to our baby (though everything is going really well, promise). But it is something more as well. It is funny how easily a bond can be formed by the simplest of acts. All this woman did was stumble across this blog and leave a comment. And now I have a vested interest in her life. I guess this is what blogging is about. I'm glad we have a blog to share with others.

My condolences to you, Little Thunder. I hope you and your husband try again when you feel you are ready. Peace.

New template

I felt it was time to mix things up with a new blog template.

Furniture and storage

First and foremost, we have to thank the Freidman's for donating their old baby stuff. Thank you! We'll take it all. Then we'll use it. And when we're done, we'll pass it on to the next suckers, I mean couple, who has a baby.

We have also begun discussing what additional baby stuff (think furniture) that we'll need to acquire. In doing so, we discovered that our house really does not have that much storage. So we'll also be doing some remodeling in the basement. All that aside, how much storage does one baby really need? Lucy and I disagree, and then both concede we don't have a clue. So that is the question at large - how much storage is needed in the baby's bedroom?

On a related note, Lucy and I are also considering furniture for our bedroom. We figure we should buy now while we are without child and with money. In six months, those tables will be turned. Anyway, we found some stuff we liked, but are still on the hunt.

Heartbeat revisited

Yesterday we hit 15 weeks and had our third trip to the Midwife. Everything is going well. We also heard our baby's heartbeat again. Still 160 beats per minute, but stronger and more pronounced than before. More of a whoomp whoomp whoomp than a whoosh whoosh whoosh. Very exciting.

Out of the closet

Today, we've officially begun telling people we are pregnant. While some of our friends, family and colleagues have known for a couple of days or weeks, today we go big. Lucy has been telling her employees and coworkers, and I have started quietly spreading the word at work too. It feels good to finally come out of the closet. Secrets are hard.

Comments welcome

Don't be afraid to post comments. If you have a thought, suggestion or reply; just click on the comment link at the bottom of a posting. Baby name suggestions are welcome. As a cool naming resource, check out the Baby Name Wizard.

One trimester down, Two to go!

Well, today was a pretty big day that Lucy and I had been waiting for. First, it is the end of the first trimester (give or take a day or two). The baby is 13.5 weeks old and so far so good. Lucy is still feeling a bit nauseous, but has gotten pretty adept at eating small meals often to keep it under control. We are hoping that the nausea begins to subside as we enter the next trimester. The exhaustion, however, will likely stay.

Today, however, the adrenaline was pumping because it was also our first ultrasound. We saw the baby move, stretch, roll over and jump. It was amazing. He/she was in good health and the technician said that all of the checks were normal which was a relief. In fact, he/she is within a day of where we would expect the baby to be at this point, measuring in at 3" from head to bottom. Our official due date is January 9th, 2008.

The best part is that now we have pictures to share!

First Baby Photos!

So Big!


All the important parts


Ready for my close up!


Go ahead and click on the pics for a larger view.

Lucy's big day

The following is Lucy's synopsis of her day working from home:

Facts about my day
· I just finished working – annoying! So I did not take a ½ day pto (I guess good!)

· I was so paranoid about the blue cheese I ate the other day that I called the restaurant and they said its from pasteurized milk – which is when it’s okay to eat. I won’t do it again just to be safe… but it makes me feel lots better!

· I watched tyra banks and days of our lives over lunch (I don’t really miss working from home that much)

The cat's out of the bag

So we were in California this past weekend for Lucy's cousin's wedding. We weren't going to tell anyone the news because we did not want to spoil the Bride and Groom's big weekend. I should also mention that we arrived late Thursday and slept in on Friday.

Well, Friday morning the whole family, minus us, gather to do some wedding chores. Lucy's cousin-in-law, Alison, wondered where we were and innocently asked Pat and Annie (Lucy's mom and sister respectively), "How's Lucy doing?"

Instead of answering simply, "fine" or "wonderful," they pause and look at each other hesitantly. Alison, already with a reputation for being quite intuitive, instantly exclaims, "She's pregnant!" And with that, the jig was up. I guess we are telling people now. :)

Heartbeat

On Monday, we heard whoseits heartbeat. It was a strong whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh at 160 beats per minute. One best things I've ever heard.

I guess this baby thing is for real now. I couldn't be happier.

Names

Everyone has an opinion, nobody has an answer. We will keep a running list of possible names we like over on the left. If you have a suggestion, leave a comment - its faster and cheaper than calling. Our current favorites are:
Boy: Sam, Oscar, Gus, Greenwood, Maven
Girl: Willa, Winnifred, Edie, Haddie, Olive, Ramona

First post

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if your entire life was documented on the Internet? Well, we thought our first child would be a great test case. This blog will tell the story of his or her life - from 8 weeks after conception to the time when he or she finds out about this blog and demands that we stop posting.