All Things Stacie

She's definitely ours!

2008-10-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

When Allison was born, everyone asked, "Who does she look like?" I said, "she definitely doesn't look like me" But I knew she was ours and they didn't switch her at the hospital because Blake took a picture of her when she just came out and it's the same baby. Blake's mom was looking at baby pictures she has and said she looks more like Brandt as a baby. She has alot of hair on her (on her back, ears, arms, forehead) which she gets from Blake's Okinawan side.

Since the weeks after we took her home, I've noticed a lot more things that make her ours. She has this serious face (she gets from Blake), we try to get her up for feedings and she's a heavy sleeper (just like me), she kicks off her blanket when she's sleeping (just like me), and I just realized today that when she stretches while she's sleeping, I do that too!

OMG - I'm a cow!

2008-09-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow will be exactly 4 weeks since Allison was born. Our last day at the hospital, my milk came in. A few days at home, and I told Blake, get the pump out, it's sore. So a little while after we got home, I started pumping my milk. Since Alli favors the right boob, that side usually gives more milk, about 50 mL. The left boob gives 20-30 mL. That's pretty much how it's been from the beginning, but this morning when I pumped the right side gave 90 mL, and the left gave 50 mL. It's almost doubled overnight! I couldn't believe how much came out. These boobies are milk producing, money saving, babies that could probably feed the whole planet when the sun dies, and there is no food on Earth.

She's FAT!

2008-09-21T01:51:00.000-07:00

Birth weight: 7 lbs. 9.2 oz.

Apparently, when babies are born, they tend to lose weight. But they're not supposed to go past 10% of their original birth weight. Well, on our last day at the hospital, she had already lost 8% of her birth weight.

The day after we left the hospital, we went to our first Dr.'s visit. Her weight was now a whopping 6 lbs. 11 oz. That's 11.5% of her weight she lost. She told us, 10% is the cutoff because if babies lose any more then usually their electrolytes are off balance, (she could have too much potassium or sodium) and it would affect her brain. So she sent us off to the hospital to get a blood test. We got the results in a couple hours and she said they were a little high, but not high enough for her to have to go into the hospital again. We just had to feed her more and come back the next day.

After trying to feed her every 2 hours, we went back the next day and her weight was again 6 lbs. 11 oz. The doctor said it wasn't great but at least she didn't lose any more weight. Her mouth wasn't dry like yesturday so she looked a little more hydrated. She said if we keep feeding her every 2 hours then we should be ok. Come back in a week and a half for her 2 week baby visit.

At her two week baby visit, we were confident that she had put on enough weight, her belly was getting bigger, she seemed to weigh more. When she went on the scale, she was 7 lbs exactly. The doctor said he wanted it to be back to her normal weight but since it isn't, we'd have to supplement her feedings with formula. Come back on Friday to check how much weight she'd gain.

OK, we were SURE that this time she'd be bigger. We fed her breastmilk AND formula. Mostly every 2 hours, or when she'd wake up. Before she got on the scale, I told her, think FAT, think FAT. Her weight... 7 lbs. 8 oz. YAY!!! She finally made it to close to her birth weight! What a huge "weight" off my shoulders. My baby is FAT!!!

Sleep Deprivation

2008-09-11T14:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, she's been a pretty good baby. She sleeps a lot and cries only when she has to be changed, fed, or burped. Just twice now that we've been home, she kept me up from 3am - 5am. The first time, we figured out that we didn't feed her enough, once she was fed again, she was fine. Last night tho, I fed her both boobies, and still she wasn't sleeping. Usually in the middle of a feeding, she'll kinda close her eyes and suck. Last night she didn't even blink! Her eyes were sooo big. I tried swaddling her and putting her in her bassinet, but she started crying a few minutes later. So I picked her up, but was super tired so I tried holding her til I knew I couldn't then put her back in her bassinet. Nope, she wasn't going for it.

I fed her again, and she finally went to sleep. I just can't imagine doing that EVERY NIGHT. I was getting all frustrated cuz those pillows were looking awfully nice and my back was sore from hunching over to breastfeed. Thank goodness Daddy wasn't gonna go in to work today because he could feed her the next feeding so I could sleep!

Oh BTW, her umbilical cord came off this morning when I was changing her. Yay, she doesn't have that ugly black thing sticking out!

Breastfeeding - not all it's "cracked" up to be

2008-09-07T13:59:00.000-07:00

If you've never done it, it seems so easy when they show you the videos of women breastfeeding, or you read books, and they tell you the positions and you're like "Hey I can do that!" but you never see the cracked, bleeding nipples! Thank goodness for Lansinoh. Protects your boobies from the cracking, or when it's cracked and bleeding, helps to heal that too. They give you a big tube of it when you deliver at Queens.

Another hardship of breastfeeding was my little sucker was a hard sucker! At night she would go back to the nursery so we could get some sleep. They gave her a pacifier and apparently she was the hardest sucker out of all the babies in the nursery. YAY.... NOT! We needed the help of a lactation specialist while in the hospital because she just wasnt latching on correctly. She did the finger suck technique (sticking a finger in the mouth and trying to train her to suck correctly) and found everytime she was attached to my boob, she would use her tongue to spit it out, then suck my boobie back in. Ok, so imagine she does that to you boob EVERYTIME! ouch...
I don't know if my boob is tougher or she has learned to suck better, but it doesn't hurt anymore. Took about a week and a few days to get it but I think both Allison and I got the hang of it. I really wanted to give up in the beginning cuz it just didn't seem like she was getting better, or I was any better and getting her on it, but if you just keep sticking to it, you'll both eventually get the hang of it. Don't give up... gambate!

It's over

2008-09-03T03:10:00.000-07:00

The worrying is finally over, Allison was born healthy on Aug. 28, 2008 at 12:33pm. The thing I was worried about was the C-section, but I was numb and the epidural gave me a tired and fuzzy feeling that I didn't think it was too bad. It was over in less than 30 mins cuz we were late going into the OR, apparently they weren't ready for us at 12pm. And Allison was born at 12:33pm. It was fast, all I felt was tugging when I guess her head got stuck and they were trying to pull her out.

The pain wasn't too bad. After the surgery I was still numb, and I guess they said the epidural would wear off so I should take a percoset. I was like, "Ok" and soon after... barf. It was a little too strong, but I was drowsy while people came to visit. I woke up at 12pm, and felt pretty good. I was walking by 5am (I know this cuz the nurse came to wake me up and check my vitals)

It's now 5 days after the surgery and I'm only taking ibuprofen for the pain, which doesn't occur too often, only when I stand for long periods, or move in a certain way. I think it was lucky that Allison didn't turn so I HAD to do the C-section. She was 7 lbs 9.2 oz, and if I waited a week for her to come out she probably would've been 8 lbs... almost 9 lbs. and THAT would have been painful!

C-section - The good, the bad

2008-08-19T12:21:00.000-07:00

I guess it's better that I know BEFORE that I am gonna have a C-section. I read in Jenny McCarthy's book that they had planned for a vaginal birth but the baby's heartbeat was slowing so they had to have an emergency C-section. So I'm a little more mentally prepared for it, but when the doctor told me yesturday we'd have to schedule it, I got a bit scared. So I was trying to think of the good and bad of having it.

Good:

1. I'll know exactly when baby will be born - right now it looks like 08-28-08 (Thursday).

2. I won't have to go through contractions (woot!)

3. I won't be all stretchy down there.

4. I won't have to have an episiotomy.

5. I get to stay in the hospital an extra day. (don't know if thats good or bad)

6. I don't think it takes as long as labor.

7. I get pain meds.

8. I can stop doing my kegels.

Bad:
1. It'll take longer to recuperate.

2. I won't get to hold baby too long right after birth.

3. I'll be awake during surgery and wondering what they're doing on the other side of the sheet.

4. Blake will have to do most things like cooking and cleaning and washing the laundry for a while. (oh this is bad for him :))

5. I'll have a scar, probably where I can't really see it anyways.

6. It could get infected. I'd just have to take antibiotics.

Version Day 2

2008-08-18T16:17:00.000-07:00

Aug 14 – Version Day 2
I woke up to people coming in to take my blood or checking my IV. We had to wait for the technician and room to be free for the ultrasound. Found out my AFI # was 7, yesterday it was a 5. I asked if that was good. He said the norm is between 5 and 25. So we were on the low end. It could be because the night before I couldn’t eat or drink past 12am. And during the night I pee like a crazy woman. I think I get up at least 6 times during the night, it’s a pain. I think that’s why I’m kinda groggy in the morning, can’t find a good position to sleep in and can’t stay asleep for long.

So we went back to my room and the doctor came and said he felt good about trying to do the procedure. So I said, “OK”. Boy that was a bad decision. I didn’t think it would hurt that much but think of having deep tissue massage on your stomach. 20 fingers pressing and pushing on your tummy. HOLY CROW! Think of the worst pain of your life, and then people telling you, don't tense your tummy, don't hold your breath... breathe... I wanted to slap 'em and see if they'd like to be in my shoes. Luckily, he said he was only gonna try it about 3 times, so as not to harm the baby. Dang baby loved it tho. Her heartbeat was fine and she was just cruising in my tummy. The doctor said they could move her head but her butt didn’t wanna turn the corner. Not that she has a big butt, but I think she’s just stubborn just like her daddy. Looks like I have to get a C-section to get her out!

During the procedure I thought I was gonna scream cuz of all the pain. Amazingly, I didn't! I did tear a little, or maybe it was sweat. Afterwards, I was so tired I fell asleep for the next hour til I heard, "Your lunch is here." =)

Version Day 1

2008-08-18T16:16:00.001-07:00

Aug 13 –
We checked in at 7:30 am, and were soon put in a tiny room. The nurse came in and said that they’re gonna check if the baby is still breech. So about a half hour later we went upstairs and into a room to do the ultrasound. The baby was still breech (and I got another picture of the baby with her hand in her face), but when the doctor came in he said I had low amniotic fluid, so that’s probably why the baby hasn’t turned yet. If she can’t move around, she isn’t likely to turn around. So they needed to keep me overnight to try and get some fluids in me. If tomorrow morning I have enough fluids, then they’ll try the version again. If I don’t have enough fluids then they’ll have to schedule a C-section.

So we went back down to the tiny room and they informed us that they were gonna move us to a bigger room. But first they needed to check one thing. To see if the amniotic sac was leaking. Think of a pap smear… ouch! They also had me and the baby hooked up so we could hear the heartbeat. The nurse said, “oh so you don’t feel these contractions?” I was like, “What? I don’t feel a thing.” I guess they were really small, but you could see ‘em on the monitor. Hopefully those are the same contractions when I give birth, that would be awesome.

We moved into the new room… wow it’s nice and BIG and I get it all to myself. The nurse, Peggy, had to do my IV. She said the needle is bigger than the one that goes in your arm for blood. YAY! But she was gonna numb me first before putting the IV in. So Blake was massaging my head, and she numbed me and put the IV in. Only felt a little prick. She’s awesome! If you have to get an IV, get the Lidocane I believe it’s called, then you won’t feel a thing. It numbs the site just like when the dentist drills in your teeth.

I should've...

2008-08-09T19:32:00.001-07:00

Ok, so this is the first time I'm blogging here. I have a "poker blog", but I never made a "mommy blog". My friend Darwin asked me, "How come I didn't make a blog about my pregnancy?" Well, maybe cuz in my first trimester I was pretty much sick. I didn't throw up but I did dry heave a lot! I would come home from work and just sit down and veg at the TV. I was tired a whole lot. I would sleep during the day too. Blake told me, maybe I just need to go out and do stuff. So I went shopping at Sam's Club, when I got there I felt fine. I was walking for a few minutes and started feeling tired. By the time I got everything and was checking out, I was exhausted. By the time I got everything in the car and was on the road, I was almost falling asleep at the wheel. Luckily we didn't live too far so I got home safely. THAT was not fun. So probably during all that, the thought of making a blog didn't occur to me.

*POW* is how many times people have cut me down during my pregnancy.

I do remember at 10 weeks, I went to Motherhood Maternity in Pearl Ridge. My bra was getting a little snug so Blake told me to go get some new bras. Well, I found some new bras, panties, and a long pants (cuz lets face it, that was getting a little tight too!) I went to the clerk to buy my things, and she was making small talk and asked, "Oh so do you know if it's a boy or girl." I said, "Oh not yet, I'm only 10 weeks pregnant." She was shocked and said, "Oh really?" I wanted to slap her head! *POW* #1 I should've asked her how far along she was! HOW RUDE.

Around this time, I guess my stomach is popping out, even as little pregnant I was. I felt bloated! I didn't think you were supposed to show til later. So I asked my doctor, how come my stomach is popping out. Guess what her answer was? "I dunno, but it's not baby" How sweet! Thanks alot! WTF?!?! *POW* #2.
I asked my friend Bliss, who is an OB-GYN and a mother of 2. She said that she had the samething. Your body is making progesterone so you kinda feel bloated, she said she didn't feel pregnant til 4 months but felt fat til then. Whew, I was relieved.

Then I was maybe 5 months along, so I started showing. I was scratching my stomach (cuz it does get itchy when it's stretching) and a student asked me, "Oh Miss, are you pregant?" I said, "Yah, I thought you knew." She said, "No, I just thought you were fat." /sigh *POW* #3.

Then a couple days after that I was talking to another student. He was asking me about paintball and how come I stopped playing. I said, "Well, it costs alot, and I don't have time to play." He said, "Well this summer, are you gonna start playing again?" I said, "I can't, I'm pregnant. It's not good for the baby." He said, "You're pregnant? I thought you were just fat!" I made this face and he said, "No, but its ok, you're supposed to be fat." Ok, that was fat twice in 10 seconds... *POW* #4 and *POW* #5.

About week 30 I found out that I have gestational diabetes. I was sad. I knew I had to poke myself and test my blood. I hate needles. Went to the class, and I poked myself to test it out. Yay, I could do it. Wasn't so bad, didn't really hurt. I went home and had to poke again. Uh oh... I was sweating, I was looking at the time go by... I was trying to convince myself to do it. After 30 mins of sweating and trying to come up with an excuse, I finally did it. Whew. I guess it was easier in the class with 10 other ladies looking at you cuz they already did it and you were the last one left. I can put everything together, the lancet on the pen, the test strip on the meter, but I can't push the pen to poke my finger. I KNOW it doesn't hurt. I just sit there and sweat a whole bunch. I had to enlist the help of Blake, Lynn (my sister-in-law), the marble guy doing our bathroom, and my next door neighbor Mary. I finally found a way to do it myself. I use the sharp collector handle and just push up on the button. Hey it works!

So now I'm in my last trimester (yay... almost over) just made 36 weeks yesturday. I found out on Thursday that the baby hasn't turned yet. She's supposed to face head down so she can be ready to come out, but unfortunately she's in the breech position. I'm gonna try this procedure called "version" to help turn her. I guess they have an ultrasound on her, and use their hands to push baby and turn her down. So 3 possible outcomes:

1) They successfully turn her and I get to go home

2) They don't successfully turn her and I need to schedule a C-section but I still get to go home.

3) Something goes wrong during the procedure where they have to perform a C-section and deliver her right there.

Just in case of outcome #3, Blake put the bassinet and swing together today. The crib he already did about 2 weeks ago (thanks to Bliss and Jared for giving us such a beautiful crib, bassinet and swing!).

Thanks to gestational diabetes, I've been watching what I eat, and been exercising more. I only gained 8 lbs. from this pregnancy so far. I lost weight during the first trimester cuz I was sick and couldn't really eat. Then kept gaining and gained 15 lbs. then lost 7 lbs since I found out I had diabetes. This is what I look like now.