Hospital Tour

We had our last childbirth education class last night. 10 couples started the class - on the last day there were 6 left.


The first hour was spent in the meeting room talking about car seat safety and proper installation. It was a very powerful presentation and she brought up a lot of points that I hadn't thought about. Items that they make & sell in stores that really are dangerous to babies in car seats if you're in the wrong situation. Her motto - If it doesn't come with the car seat don't use it.

• the mirrors
• the toy bars
• the bundleme's
• the extra cushion straps

Of course she knows parents are going to use the items above she just cautions and educates on what could happen. Make sure those mirrors are anchored well because if you're in a front on collision that becomes a projectile right into the baby's face. ETC...

We also learned about proper installation. Since the beginning of the year I think she said she had installed 100 seats and only 6 of those had been installed correctly by the parents to begin with. We are definitely calling Huntley's police department and making an apt for a car seat check this weekend.

The second half of the class was the Labor and Delivery hospital tour. The new Sherman Hospital is quite nice. The Labor and Delivery unit is on the third floor at the south end of the hospital. As soon as you get out of the elevator you walk into this calm, subdued atmosphere - there's a glass wall that you have to get buzzed past to enter the unit. At one end is the labor and delivery rooms and the other is postpartum. The rooms are nice. They're big enough with huge bathrooms. Sherman prides itself on being the only hospital around that doesn't separate mom and baby (unless they have to) after birth. Meaning - when you deliver baby is taken to the side of the room where she is placed in a heater, weighed, measured, bathed right there. * Dads remember to take pictures! You, baby and dad are then left in the delivery room for 1-2 hours to recover and finally moved to your postpartum room.

While we were touring the L&D room one of the dads from our class who's wife's water had broken earlier that day came to give us an update. She was doing well. Had no clue she was contracting until her water broke, had the epidural now and was around 5 centimeters. He was all smiles and just waiting for their little Ryley Ann to show up.

We also peeked into the operating room for Csections and NICU where the father that was discussed from Class #5 (short umbilical cord) came out to chat. Their baby is doing very well - he was born at 33 weeks and weighed 4lb 6oz. He was improving fast, breathing on his own and if all is good can go home in a week or so. They were staying at the hospital in a courtesy suite so that she is able to bring expressed breastmilk to him anytime needed. It turns out that the gestational diabetes that she had was a blessing because if they hadn't been monitoring her for that so closely they probably would have never seen that the baby was under distress and they could have lost him. Miracles do happen.

On the way out a doula that was there and on the tour for another couple asked me how far along I was. When I said 36 weeks she was a bit shocked. By the way I'm carrying she could've sworn I was more like 38. She commented that I'm low, the baby's already in position (which we know from the doctors apt this week) and she'd be surprised if I held out to my due date. She wasn't even sure I'd make it another two weeks. We will see - I'll ask my doctor next Monday what she feels.

On to the 1 Week Appointments

Today was Kelly's 34 week checkup. Somewhere along the way, we got messed up because we are 35w 4d and just getting the 34 week... oh well, it does not matter much to me. This appointment started like all the others, but we had a flashback to our early appointments where Kelly's Blood Pressure was a bit high (180/79).



We went to see the doctor instead of rechecking the BP. We sat around for a little bit, but were still seen quite quickly. Kelly had a strep swab today, and then we got our usual listen to the heart. I asked the doctor if she could tell where the baby was positioned. She felt around on Kelly's belly and determined our little girl was head down like she should be. She even showed me how and where to feel and I was quite impressed when I felt the little sphere. I also determined that for the past few weeks (possibly months) I have been speaking to my daughters butt. I hope she does not have the sense of humor that my mother does. Mom suggested that my daughter may eventually turn her back side to me and say "speak a little louder, I can't hear you." I also hope that she does not act like Ace Ventura Pet Detective.



Back to the story, Kelly, got her first internal exam today. An exam that let the doctor proclaim, we are not at all dilated, maybe 25% effaced, and that she was "not quite sure that was her head." This statement made Kelly and I a bit nervous and worried. That feeling was put to rest when she took us to the ultra sound room to take a better look. I think both of us were excited to get another chance to see her, but we were nervous at the same time. As the doctor put the wand on the belly, we got an immediate look at baby girl's head and brain. She IS turned and ready to go. We were even told that she may very well have been turned for quite some time. Perhaps this is why the doctor felt a bony little something down there. It is possible that our little girl has been doing a head stand for so long, she is starting to get a little bit of a cone head.

For the past few weeks, Kelly has a had a problem area below her rib cage on the left side of her stomach. We used the impromptu ultra sound to see that it is the resting spot for her rump. Apparently when Kelly leans forward at her desk or at a table, it is a little painful as if the girl is pushing back. Perhaps she is.

Prior to leaving the office, the doctor did want Kelly's blood pressure to be re-taken. Due to her recent activity (internal exam, worrying the baby was breach, walking back and forth to the ultra sound room) the BP reading was still high. This got her a drink of cold water and a waiting spell in the lobby. Eventually Kelly's BP dropped back into a normal range and we were free to go.

Now we get to move to one appointment a week. We are exactly one calendar month from our calculated due date of April 29. It is way beyond exciting now.

Patrick

Vote Now!!!

Outfit # 1




Outfit # 2

Which outfit do you prefer? Vote above.

Closet - Before & After - Pat did such a great job!

A Father - To - Be Weighs in on Pregnancy

Hello everyone!

It sure has been a while since I last checked in and I find myself nearing the end of stage one. Today we hit 35 weeks. Taking a step back and thinking about the obvious, I accept the fact that we have only 5 weeks of pregnancy left. As Kelly mentioned earlier, another couple from our Child Birth Education class delivered early. It is a shocking reminder that not everything in life is fair or easy. It is also a time to look at my emerging family and be happy and thankful for our continued health. Kelly is, undoubtedly, handling pregnancy terrifically. She has taken every twist and turn in stride and makes this being pregnant thing look easy. One of my co-workers commented on her recently... "Kelly looks fantastic. Most people look worn down by the eighth month but she looks great." I have to say, my co-worker is right. And yes, I am definitely a proud husband. If this time is any judge of what kind of mother Kelly will be, this will be one lucky girl.

I figured it was time to revisit my list of questions from week 25...

1. Registering was a breeze, it is long gone and we got a whole bunch of stuff at the shower. Thank you everyone.
2. Pick a name - Down to 2
3. Get THE room ready - One or two shelves and some picture hanging and this one is done.
4. Kelly has a hard time NOT feeling the baby. Kick count is ongoing and always successful.
5. Still don't know how the dog will react, but he has approximately 27 seconds to learn once the little girl comes home.
6. The shower was on Feb 27th and it looks like everyone had fun. Again, thank you everyone for your generosity.
7. I will get one week of parental leave, Kelly will get 6-8 weeks depending on the doctor's decision. She will also get a week of parental leave.
8. We found daycare at a lovely families home in Crystal Lake.
9. About $170 a week for the charge
10. Probably need like 4 more jobs.
11. Still don't know if anyone is hiring.
12. A whole bunch of drawings have passed. Somebody is gonna Lotto, but probably won't be me.
13. I bought a St. Patty Day raffle ticket.. nothing doing.
14. Yes, Kelly wanted breakfast.


Some of the more fun things I have learned....
1. There are three types of breathing for Kelly.
2. I will need to tell her break the seat belt and go to the basement.
3. Kelly does not get cravings.
4. I am pretty sure I have eaten more pickles than Kelly has.

Well, that pretty much sums up my past few weeks... I am off to hit dinner and relax for a bit.

Hope everyone is doing well.


Patrick

Bowling at Lakes

We went to Lakes Bowl last night with Mike and Lisa. Fun was had by all. It had been a long time for bowling and every ones scores showed it.

Playfully accused of trying to walk out with a ball under my shirt Lisa thought this would be a great picture.

Updates

Childbirth classes 4 and 5 have passed. No huge updates -
Class 4 we watched a video on C-sections and went over all the breathing techniques again. She also taught us how to push (not something to practice until the actual time to push) but she said something about thinking there was a seat belt around your abdomen and trying to break it free.
Class 5 (last night) was a visit from a pediatrician. Yet another woman from our class had to deliver her baby pre-term. This time there was distress due to umbilical cord issues and she was set to deliver yesterday/today at 33 weeks. Out of the 10 couples in class on day one we now are down to 7.

We hit 35 weeks tomorrow - 5 weeks (or so) left - she'll be here soon!

Doctors Apt

We had another doctors apt yesterday (33/34 weeks) - We have one more on the 29th and then we move to every week. It's getting close. Everything still looks good. She's still in the 140's for her heartbeat and I'm still measuring spot on at 33.

Pat and I were able to ask more questions that revolved more around labor -
do you want to be called when contractions start?
when do we go to the hospital?
Episiotomies
what growth should I expect in the next 6 weeks?
Epidurrals

And once again we walked out of the office laughing at her comments back to us and her layed back attitude. I've often thought that Pat would really hate going to these appointments if it wasnt for having a doctor with such a fantastic personality.

Pat and I even joked last night that it would be nice to have Reverand Jim (the man who married us) and Dr. Korzen as neighbors - BBQs would be awesome.

Childbirth # 3

Tonight was a very rushed night as we got home a bit late. We hurried through dinner, rushed to the hospital for the class and when we got there, it was time to wait a bit. The class itself was a bit interesting, but there were definitely parts that made me loose concentration and wander off with my own thoughts.

We watched a video that covered many things we could see during labor and delivery. The overall theme was pain management. It discussed breathing techniques, medications, and maybe some other stuff, this was one of the times I began to day dream or focus on other things. I do know that epidurals were discussed. I did watch the video for that. I think the biggest reason I didn't pay attention to parts of the video were based on something that, as a guy, you would think I would want to see. When I saw the half naked lady relaxing in a tub while laboring, I thought to myself, "why do they have to do it this way?" I am sure they are trying to be a realistic as possible, but I don't think I need to see people naked. It is like the people that make these videos have a mantra that no laboring mother will be provided with a gown. It is one thing to see someone I know naked and laboring (by this I mean my wife only) but sometimes it feels like it has gone too far. - Side note, epidurals do not look all that fun. Sorry babe.

We also saw a lot of visual aids for epidurals, fetal monitoring (both internal and external), forceps, vacuums and whatnot. We had some questions that will need to be referred to our doctor, but the nurse was very receptive and listened to all our questions, answering what she could.

We did have a quiz that we took prior to moving to our relaxation and breathing exercises. The quiz was partially to blame for some of my day dreaming. I wanted to fill it in immediately when I saw it but kept feeling like it was more appropriate to wait.

Kelly nudged me a few times during class because she thought I was sleeping. No, I was not sleeping, I was reading, then re-reading, and re-re-reading to the point that I closed my eyes and tried to picture what I thought our little girl would look like. No luck, not only was I interrupted (kidding babe) I have absolutely no inclination on what she will look like. Even if we did a 3d ultrasound, I don't think I could picture her face.

We did learn a few new things for helping Kelly labor today. We got to slow dance today. During the slow dance, I managed to upset Kelly. I was trying to influence her to sway more at her hips than with her entire upper body. I need to remind myself that she will do what feels good for her... it doesn't always have to be exactly what is told to us. We also learned transition, or patterned, breathing. Not only do we have Ah/He breathing, but now every 4th breath is a blow off breath or Ah/Who breathing. Now all I need to do is practice not getting dizzy when I try to match Kelly's breathing. I can only hope that during labor and delivery she finds me almost as funny and amusing as she does in class. If so, maybe L&D will be just as good as the rest of her pregnancy has been. I do have to say, she is making the pregnancy look easy and good.

Next week, we talk about C-sections... hmmmm.

Patrick

Practicing for when my waters break

My car was in the shop since Tuesday morning. When we picked it up today there was plastic on the seat and steering wheel. Pat's suggestion - keep the plastic on for when my waters break. Gotta love my very practical husband!

32 weeks

We've entered month 8 - 32 Weeks! I need to remind myself to enjoy every minute of it because the next 2 months are going to fly by!

Childbirth Class #2

Tonight we had our second childbirth class. It started at 7 with a video. The video discussed signs of labor -
measurable contractions that get stronger and longer, your water breaking, dilation and effacement are TRUE signs of labor. Other signs like back pain, lightening, and braxton hicks contractions can lead to labor but do not mean that you are in labor. (although anything like back aches especially if they come and go and are measurable can be TRUE labor)

I now understand what dilation, effacement and pelvic stations are as well as the three stages of labor

The video did have a birth in it and I must say everyone in the class did well with the visual. Our teacher did point out after the fact that:
1. Not all women give birth completely naked - in fact at Sherman hospital they give you gowns :) (the video had a lot of non-clothed laboring women in it)
2. Your doctor most likely wont ask you to reach down and feel the top of the head as the one in the video did. They clean that area for a reason
3. As a mother in the video observed after she delivered the head "that doesn't look like a baby" - well it doesn't. In fact most babies aren't cute right at birth and until the baby takes her first breath they don't have the pink/rosey color.

The last 45 minutes of the class were spent in back working on our newest breathing technique - modified paced " Ah - Hee" breathing, comfort measures and back labor management. During this part of the class all of us seemed to get a reality check. - A father that had been in the last class (he and his wife were missing in today's class) came in and asked to talk to the teacher. They went outside the room and after a few minutes our teacher returned. She asked if we had recognized him and said that he had come to inform her that his wife gave birth to their little girl today. At 32 weeks the baby girl weighs in the 4lb range. She hadn't realized she was in labor (back laboring) and by the time she saw the doctor she was already 3-4 centimeters dilated and it was too late to try and stop it. The little girl is doing okay, she has some assistance breathing and the family is in shock.

At 32 weeks, that could be us. We enter 32 weeks on Thursday. I will thank God every day that our little girl stays in where she's supposed to - to bake for a little while longer.