Addie Update

Addie is doing great. In the NICU, they monitor everything. She eats every 3 hours. Approximately 5 minutes before she eats, we have to take her temp, change her diaper, and then report the findings of both to the nurse. After she eats, we have to report the number of mL she's taking. For her weight, she needs to eat at least 60 mL or 2 oz at each feed. If not, she'll go on a feeding tube. Thankfully, she's been eating an average of 75 mL per feed.

She's left "the beach" and is back up to her birth weight. She's wearing size 1 diapers. She recognizes me when I go and loves to be held. When she's awake, she just looks around and is happy to chill out.

If all continues the way it has been for the last 2 days, we'll be discharged Friday morning. She receives the last of her medication at 3 a.m. Friday and we should be able to be home before noon.

We're so excited to finally have all of our family members at home. One of the things I dislike the most about having a baby in the NICU is that I have to shower and leave the house right after having a baby. The last thing I feel like doing is going out in public. I just want to feed my kid and wear PJ's all day, you know?

The dreaded scalp IV.

Who needs one of those fancy paci-holders when you have a bulb syringe?

Let It Snow!

We got a little winter treat today. It started snowing this morning. Nothing really heavy, but just enough for Lexi to go out and play when we got home from the NICU. She mastered the art of throwing snowballs at Allen pretty quickly, too.

Trip To The Beach

When we went in to see Addie today, she was under the "bili-lights". She developed jaundice so they put her under these lights to help her body get rid of the extra bilirubin. We call it "a trip to the beach" since it's like being under the sun and the baby can't wear anything but her diaper while she's there. When she's under the lights, we can't hold her because they want her exposed for as much of the day as possible.

We called this evening and she was still under the lights. We also found out she had to have an IV put her in scalp as the one in her arm infiltrated. It's awful seeing a needle sticking out of your child's head. I'm not looking forward to that, but this is all part of the NICU journey. Tomorrow, they'll draw blood to check her count and determine if she needs more time or not.

Alexis and Addison

Alexis Michelle Riddle
March 23, 2006

Addison May Riddle

December 12, 2008

NICU II

So, we have another NICU baby. We really thought letting her bake for 40 weeks would help us skirt another long hospital stay. But, noooooo, here we go again!

They had noticed meconium in my water and when that happens, they automatically call in the NICU staff to make sure they suction the lungs of the baby. I knew they would whisk her away and I wouldn't get to hold her, but we didn't expect her to have to be admitted.

Actually, there wasn't meconium, but she had inhaled lots of fluid during the birth process. They cleaned her all out, but within 1/2 an hour, could see she wasn't breathing well on her own. They decided to take her to the NICU and put her on oxygen. They told us it would be a couple of hours and then she'd come to our room. Five hours later, we still had no baby. So, we walked on down to get a report.

Her little lungs hadn't inflated correctly and she needed oxygen. They also saw what could be an infection in her lungs and were watching to see what developed. So, she spent the night in the NICU Friday. Allen went home and I got a good night's rest.

Friday in the NICU

Saturday, the x-rays revealed she had an infection and would require a 7 day treatment of antibiotics. Saturday night she came off of the oxygen. She had been eating well, too.

Today, she was off of IV fluids, but still has the IV in her arm to administer the medication thru next Friday. She's eating well and was totally awake when we saw her last.



Being back in the NICU has pressed a few buttons for us. However, having been there for so long with Lexi, this seems like nothing. We're taking advantage of the extra recovery time and want to make sure Addie's lungs are completely healthy before she comes home.

Baby Makes 4!

Be careful what you wish for! Thursday morning at 5 a.m., I started having more contractions. Then, my water broke, but it wasn't very much so I didn't think much of it. About 9 a.m., the contractions were about 4-5 minutes apart and pretty strong. I still had my 10 a.m. appointment for a massage and wasn't about to miss it if this was just false labor again. I called my massage therapist and she came over. She helped me for an hour and a half while the contractions got stronger. Believe me, I never thought I would ever, in my life, have an in-home massage while I was in labor! It was really helpful, though.

The doctor had told me not to come into until my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart for an hour straight. Around noon, we decided that this was the real deal and would be going in to the hospital at some point. So, I was in bed in labor while Allen made arrangements for Lexi and my mom finalized plans to fly in. At 1 p.m., the contractions were starting to get pretty uncomfortable so we made our way into the hospital.

They took me back to triage to make sure I was in true labor. They also did a quick test to see if my water had really broken. It had, so even if my contractions weren't perfect, I was still going to be admitted and have a baby. We got settled in our room and made a plan with our nurse. I had been laboring for about 10 hours and was at 3 cm. We made a plan to try and get to 5 cm and then contemplate pain relief. At 6 p.m., I was finally a 4 but I had been in labor for 12 hours and was feeling pretty tired. By 7, the contractions were still 5 minutes apart, but really strong. So, we called in for an epidural. What a blessing! When those things work, they are awesome.

It took another 12 hours for me to get to a 10. But, the baby was still way too high. The nurses had all said they don't advocate 2 and 3 hour pushing marathons. They prefer the baby to "labor down" and then go about pushing. So, it took another 4 hours for the baby drop enough for pushing to commence. We started at 9:45 and Addison was born at 10:32 a.m.

I certainly did not expect 30 hours of labor. I am actually surprised that I managed 12 hours of labor without any pain meds, either. But, I had made a plan and am glad I stuck with it. I am really, really glad we avoided another C-section. Having been on both sides of that coin, I can say this recovery is much faster and easier. I still feel like I have been run over by a truck, but I'm walking and caring for myself. This kind of birth is a really different experience and it has been interesting to compare the two ways of bringing people here.

Allen, I know, felt more involved and was totally impressed by the whole process. Our nurses and midwives were awesome and we feel very positive about the whole thing. This is my philosophy about childbirth (if you want it in one neat sentence): You must go through the gates of hell to bring a person back from heaven.

Addison May Riddle

8 lbs. 12 oz.

21 inches long

10:32 a.m.

12/12/2008

Practice Makes Perfect?

It certainly doesn't make for a baby.

Well, I think the very fact that I'm writing this is a strong sign that we didn't have a baby. My contractions stayed consistent until about 11:30 a.m. My massage therapist worked on my feet and I had 8 really strong contractions in the 30 minutes she was doing those pressure points. We had a friend come and get Lexi and we got to the hospital around noon.

We had to wait a while for our own testing room and of course, they hooked me up to the monitors. I had lots of contractions. Allen rubbed the pressure points in my feet and I had lots more. But, they weren't enough. So, after 2 hours of being on the monitor, they said to go back home.

We had a wonderful, compassionate nurse. I explained to her that every day I have 2 or 3 hours of consistent contractions and I have no way of knowing what is really going on. She said that is the hard part about late pregnancy. Lots of contractions and really the only way to know is to come in and get checked. She made sure I had lunch and was ever so kind to us when the contractions didn't pan out. She even went and got my Dr. for me so I could discuss the issue with him. I thanked him for coming all the way over to see me and he said he'd just gotten out of a c-section. I jokingly asked him if he wanted to do another one. He said all looked great with the baby, but we were just in the early stages of labor. He said if I want to schedule a c-section, we can do one on Tuesday. I'm not quite sure I'm ready for that, but if you think about it, at this point, I would have already had the baby and would be through the worst of the recovery. But, I really want to try and avoid surgery so we're going to remain patient. Of course, my biggest concern is going to 42 weeks, being induced again, and having to have a c-section anyways. Oh, that would be terrible.

I also told the Dr. I have this gut feeling that I won't go into real labor on my own. He got this very stern look and said, "Don't think that way! Be positive! You're doing it already. This is how it goes. You can do it!" I'm frustrated about the false alarm, but grateful for the good care we received. I still have my massage tomorrow and maybe that will help things keep rolling. Until then: baths and Tylenol for the fake contractions. Oh, a whole lot of keeping a good attitude...

Could It Be?

I couldn't sleep thru them anymore. I woke up at 4 with contractions. More by 4:22, then 4:27, then...5:22 until 7:30 every 4-5 minutes. I called the hospital and they said to make my way in by noon. I ate, drank, walked, took a shower, you know...all the things that should make it stop or really make it go. The shower made the contractions stronger and closer together so the midwife says it sounds like my body is really trying. Because I'm VBAC, they would like to do more monitoring than typical so they don't mind me coming in a little early.

Who knows? They could watch me and send me home. I'm really hoping they'll see that I've been making an attempt at this labor thing for a good 4 or 5 days and may just need a little push. My massage therapist is going to be here at 9:30 to do my pressure points to help the contractions continue to be strong and regular.

Anyhow, we're going in around 10 and we'll see what the machines are saying. Another embarrassing adventure? It's likely. The real thing? Let's hope!

Pics

I took a look at our blog and what a bunch of text. Great place for me to write, really boring for those who want to see us (well, Lexi, really).

Here's some pics of Lexi's latest habit. She has been sleeping, watching TV, and just hanging out in the laundry baskets. If one isn't available, she finds it and drags it out. If they are being used, she get the actual hamper and drags it out. She puts her pillow, babies, juice and blanket in there and is as happy as a clam. We could have saved so much time and energy and just bought her a deluxe laundry hamper rather than nice furniture for her room. Live and learn!

Here, she told me she was busy reading her book. It's a book about sleep training for babies. Looks like Lexi's in charge.

Getting ready to go to bed.

I'm also going to post some pics of myself. I have to admit, it ain't pretty. Here are some stats:

• 20 lbs. gained
• measuring 40.5 cm
• no makeup
• late at night = swelling in full effect
• yeah, I took an ambien too.

So, um, things are looking pretty wide here to me. The picture below is for comparison sakes. I was just about 30 weeks pregnant with Lexi. I did have make up on, though.

I remember feeling soooo pregnant, too.

39

One week to go. At least, that is what the calendar says. Sometimes, I think they give you a due date just to make you crazy. Like I said before, I'm trying not to dwell on it. But, I'm totally dwelling!

I've been having some legitimate contractions, but they won't stay consistent. I have 3 or 4, maybe 5 or 6, about 5 minutes apart and then they go away. I'm taking some recommended home remedies and I'm pretty sure they aren't amounting to much. The deal with that kind of stuff is, if you're ready, they usually help. But, if you're not, they don't. Unfortunately, I must not be ready.

I feel like I'm getting close to the end of a lease with a roommate. You know, when you know you have to make it work to live with someone, you make it work. But, as that move out date approaches, you start to get more and more annoyed with them because you know you're only days away from being rid of their obnoxious habits. So it is with me and this kid. We're getting close to the end of the lease (read: I'm ready to evict the child) and now I'm less and less happy about the rolling, punching, kicking and general abuse I've been putting up with.

I'm sure when I look back, all of this will seem like a blink. I have been contemplating happiness v. joy as I've been unhappy most of these days because of the discomfort. My conclusion is this: happiness is momentary and is usually comprised of the worldly things that occupy much of our lives. When I say momentary, I mean within the bounds of our mortal lifetime. Happiness can masquerade as joy for a long time, but it is not enduring. Happiness isn't a bad thing; it just isn't true joy. Happiness can last for years. We all need happiness in our lives. Joy is the real peace and contentment that comes from the eternal things. I have to say I'm really grateful to know I have an eternal family. Getting people to this Earth isn't always easy and it certainly isn't always happiness. Living with people here on Earth isn't either. But, there are those times where you can experience joy, which is in essence, eternal happiness, when you are doing things of eternal consequence. Having the eternal perspective makes bearing the worldly struggles, well, bearable. I'm not sure how I would do it if I really believed my family wouldn't be intact throughout eternity. Knowing this little person is linked to us long after this life makes this miserable time worth it. I also have a firm testimony that each person belongs to the family they are with. I know with all my heart and mind that this person is supposed to be in our family at this time. How could I know these things and not find the 9 months of sacrifice (and let's face it, lifetime, of sacrifice) more worthwhile? How can I ignore the big picture? The gospel makes a lot of sense.

Anyhow, spirituality aside, I'm still eager to move beyond the pregnancy part of the deal and get to the raising part. My (supposedly) final doctor's appointment in on Friday and hopefully, it'll be good news! (Like, you can stay and have your baby!) Again, not holding my breath since I tried that and I've just been passing out way too much.

Sigh

This morning when I woke up, I hadn't felt the baby move in about 4 hours. Now, I had been asleep for 3 of those 4, so I didn't make much of it. I ate breakfast, moved around, did some chores, sat down, etc. About an hour later, I still hadn't had any movement. I've had those moments "um, hmmm, haven't felt the baby, better pay attention" before and within 5 minutes time, I get something. This girl is always on the move. An hour was a really long time for her to be so quiet. Plus, my guts felt like they were just hanging off of me. Usually, it feels stretched, tight and really uncomfortable. So, we gave the hospital a call.

They told me to drink juice and come on in. Of course, we had to find someone to come and watch Lexi. We also grabbed our bags (we did learn something from last time when I just showed up with my purse). We ended up taking about an hour to get everything settled, just in case.

They put me on the monitor and gave me lots of water and juice. I drank and drank and they watched and watched. About 1/2 an hour later, they came back and said everything looked great. I'd been having contractions every 8-10 minutes, but they told me to wait until they are 2-3 minutes apart for an hour before I come in for the real deal. I hadn't felt any of the contractions and if they are still happening, I'm still not feeling them.

I felt really dumb and told Allen I wasn't going back in until the baby was on it's way out to save any further embarrassment. Of course, everyone says, "better safe than sorry", but when you're the safe one, it can make you feel kind of silly. We were glad the baby was ok. The juice did make her move a little more, but she has definitely changed her ways in the last day. I'm not seeking any signs so I have no idea why it's happened other than the logical: she's just running out of room. (I will say, though, the change in her movement was overnight and not gradual, but whatever.)

I did get to keep a really nice water bottle and we had breakfast so I guess it wasn't all for not!

Update

I had an appointment with my midwife today. Well, she was actually out sick so I met another. I really, really liked the stand-in.

I'm measuring 40.5 cm, so just a little ahead of where I should be. She guesstimates at least 8 lbs., if not more. She also told me to get a support belt because of how far out and low the baby is this time around. She said it's pretty common for the first to be a little higher, but after that, everything falls way faster. She couldn't believe how far out the baby was. I'm definitely not carrying "wide", but deep and narrow (as if narrow applies to any part of pregnancy!).

I asked the dreaded question, "How far past my due date will you let me go?" Well, if you get to 41 weeks, we do an ultrasound. If everything looks good and you're not dilating, we let you go to 42 weeks. Then we do a gentle induction (nothing about inducing labor is gentle, if you ask me) to try and mimic mother nature. If at 41, you are dilated and pretty much ready, we'll start induction then. I had expected this answer, but I just wanted to check to give those planning on coming a heads up.

I asked about home induction remedies and she recommended a few. I'm definitely open to any and all suggestions from anyone who reads the blog. I'll be 39 weeks on Saturday and that's plenty long enough, people! I still have my "induction" massage on the 11th if things haven't moved on their own by then. I kind of don't want to go into labor before then because I really want the massage (and I'm having my hair washed and styled). But, I don't know if I want the massage bad enough to stay pregnant! I can always get a post-partum massage though, huh?

I do feel like this time things will be lots different. The staff has a way different approach and they seem very empathetic. Even the docs, who tend to be all business, are way in tune with the different methods, medications, and helps available to pregnant people.

So, best case scenario: December 15th (or earlier), worst case December 30th and we're induced. Please include us in your prayers with the #15 tied into that favor.

Here's to the big push!

People Say...

Allen: You are acting like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, you know?
Traci: Um, I have been possessed for the last 9 months, you know?

*********************************************
Traci: I've been having lots of pressure and contractions. I'm not sure what is normal, so I thought I'd call and check in.
Nurse: Well, it is common to feel like you're being ripped in half for the last month of pregnancy.

*********************************************
Lexi: Mommy, you got a beard?
Traci: I hope not!

38

I keep hearing that song that goes "second verse, same as the first" in my head over and over. We are at week 38 and guess what! it's all the same as the last week. No contractions at all, though. Nothing had changed when we saw the doctor last week and I'm pretty sure it'll be the same this week, too.

We wanted to go full-term and we are officially there. So, I'm officially ready to meet this kid (read: officially sick of packing someone else around in my gut 24/7). I look forward to losing the full time stuffy nose and having to sleep on my side. While I won't be sleeping much at all for a while, any time on my back is way better than side sleep. I just hate it. I still always wake up on my back and I feel like a whale who is killing itself with its own weight. I've had 5 colds during this pregnancy which means I've been sick every other month. That has been horrible! I hope that ends with the birth of the baby, too.

I'll be sure to post if anything changes, but don't go holding your breath unless you're just really looking forward to passing out. My gut is telling me we'll be a while yet with this one.

Family Tag

Well, I thought I'd covered it, but Shannon's latest tag was a family tag so the all about me (as fascinating as I'm sure it was) didn't quite cut it.

1. How many people are in your family?
3, soon to be 4
2. When did you get married?
September 21, 2002
3. Are your children girls or boys?
2 girls
4. What do you do for fun?
Fun? What? Who said anything about life being fun? We like to go to the zoo, go on walks, go hiking, play outside, and anything else that will keep a 2 year old happy for more than 10 minutes.
5. Is your family complete, or do you plan on having more children?
Wouldn't you like to know! Seriously, with our history, we are taking it one at a time and that's about as far as we'll go.

Oh, and I'm supposed to tag 7 people or something, but I don't know 7 people who blog (does that make me a loser?). The people I do know that blog have already been tagged. I guess the buck is going to stop here.