One of the things pregnancy helps me with is blogging. Ha. I know that sounds funny but since I like to journal my pregnancies, it keeps me consistent for the most part. It's been two full months since I've blogged! That's just not acceptable. Many of you are friends of mine on Facebook so even if we don't see each other regularly, you can keep up with us if you'd like. But here's my shot of summarizing the last two months.
As you know, Daniel was born December 14th. He's been such a joy and is such a sweet baby. Yet as with any newborn, he comes with his own demands. He had a struggle feeding at first because of issues with my overactive letdown and a formilk/hindmilk imbalance. That was not fun. He still seems to be a bit intolerant of dairy but not an allergy (as Hannah had). So I just try to watch my consumption. He's getting up once most nights but still nurses about every 2 1/2 hours, even at 2 1/2 months old. I'm not complaining though. It's sweet to spend time with him and be forced to be still. And he's a fast nurser so it's not a super long ordeal.
The other kids have been doing well. They are all over the top in love with their new baby brother. Though Sophia struggles with our attention being spread, she constantly wants to love on, kiss and hold him. She turned two recently and she's every bit of two right now. Testing Mama's patience, no doubt. But she can also lead the way in any dance contest or giggling match. Benjamin continues to be high energy and all boy. I personally can't wait for Daniel to be old enough to wrestle with him. For now, he tries to take on his sisters which usually doesn't bode well for them. He has to be reminded to be gentle with the girls and save that energy to wrestle with Daddy. Hannah is learning super fast with her schooling. She's begun first grade math, handwriting and reading. I'm not pushing her into these, she's just ready. She's also such a little mommy and a very stereotypical first-born. Considering I am as well, I see both the good and the bad with that. She keeps telling me she can't wait to get married and have lots of kids.
James continues to work his job as a hospice chaplain and bereavement coordinator full time. Part time he serves as a corporate chaplain. He was also recently hired on part time for the work he does at our church, primarily in the counseling ministry. He's very gifted in what he does and in my opinion, is a blessing to many, inside this house and out. He also recently celebrated a birthday.
Me? Well, I continue to be a wife and mommy. :) Most days I love it. Though I can't say I don't have my moments. James has been good to give me two Saturdays per month to do whatever I want and have some free time. Daniel hasn't taken a bottle yet so he goes with me but the other kids hang out with Daddy. Over the last several months, I've picked up my love of reading again. I began somewhat of a classic called Kristin Lavransdatter. I'm nearly 600 pages into the trilogy and have totally been reawakened to the joys of reading fiction. I'm also reading a book on large family home management and Loving the Little Years. Reading Honey for a Woman's Heart got me excited about reading again. Many ask when I do it? Well, mostly after bed time and early in the mornings before the kids get up. But I also steal time throughout the day when I'm nursing or have a moment while the kids are otherwise busy. Then on my Saturday retreats. It's been quite a refresher for me.
We're trying to work on our eating habits. Though we're making baby steps (and some days, very tiny baby steps), we're stepping none-the-less. Mostly trying to eat healthier, "real" foods though I've still got much room to grow. James has begun running and is hoping to train for a short race over the next few months.
On the health side of life, we've had colds off and on as usual. By God's grace, the last big thing we had was our stomach bug and then coughing crazies that ended in December. Minor since then. James' RA has been minimal as has my vertigo (praise God on both accounts!).
So there you have it. My long overdue update of our last two months! Hopefully two more won't pass before I write again! With that said, if you have ideas for topics you'd like me to cover (other than family updates), I'd LOVE to hear them!
Until next time...
Take care,
Terra
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Week 40: The Birth Story!!!
I know many of you are just itching to know how things "went down" so here's my best recap of the birth of Daniel Brian Santos.
On Thursday, December 13th, I went to the office for my appointment, NST, and ultrasound. Well, long story short, I was scheduled for the appointment but somehow was never scheduled for the rest. I was actually somewhat okay with that because I figured if I didn't have the tests, we couldn't find anything wrong. I could wait a few more days and hope I went into labor on my own before having to do them. After trying to figure out why I was never scheduled, the receptionist accidentally put my paper in the wrong pile and then they forgot about me. Fortunately, I had not even noticed by the time they came out to apologize. So after a funny and delayed start, I was called back for my appointment.
After weighing in (at a grand total of 34 1/2lbs - my highest!), checking BP and so forth, I was taken back to the room to wait for the midwife. She came in, asking if I was tired of everyone asking when the baby was going to arrive. I laughed and said I was tired of wondering that myself. Before she checked for dilation, she asked, "Do you want me to be easy on you today or no?" I looked at her, slightly confused but just said, "I don't know what I want at this point." Ha. Well, by the end of our appointment, my membranes had been swept and I was told I was 2cm dilated. She said the baby's head was down but turned slightly and that was probably the hold-up. She explained possible symptoms to expect over the next 24 hours and said she expected the baby to be here by the weekend. Keep in mind, at this point, I was officially five days past my due date with baby number four. Crazy.
Following the appointment, James and I went to Panera for lunch. This is actually pertinent to the story because every one of my labors have involved Panera in some form or fashion. I started having some mild cramping that lasted until about nine that night and then subsided. But otherwise, nothing exciting was happening. I made sure I had all of my bags packed, "just in case" and then went to bed.
Fast forward to 3 a.m. I was startled awake feeling suddenly wet. I got out of bed to go to the restroom, thinking my water may have broken but there was nothing else leaking. However, I almost immediately started having extremely strong contractions, very close together. I quickly woke up James and told him we needed to prepare to leave. When I was up and moving around, the contractions continued but as soon as I sat or laid down, they started slowing. So then I began doubting myself and wondering whether I was having false labor again. I texted my doula and asked for her thoughts. She suggested that I sit for about thirty minutes and time my contractions. If they were real, they'd continue. Well, they continued but slowed significantly - to only one every fifteen minutes or so. Frustrated and tired, at around 4:30 or 5 a.m., I decided to sit in my recliner and try to sleep a tad. I dozed off but awoke consistently every twelve minutes or so with a contraction. Then I'd doze off again and the cycle continued. Finally, at about 6 a.m., my water very obviously broke. There was no longer any doubt in my mind, it was time to have a baby!
We made the necessary phone calls, got our belongings and headed to the hospital. Considering it was soon to be rush hour and I was Group B Strep positive, we did not want to waste any time. We arrived in a very easy going fashion. My contractions were slowing down, so getting ready and in a room were pretty uneventful. My doula arrived and the nurse got me started on the antibiotics. The next several hours were pretty funny - quite literally. My contractions were almost nil. Seriously, we were walking the halls, rocking on a ball, swaying by my bedside and NOTHING exciting was happening! The contractions were between 5-10 minutes apart but were not very strong at all. My photographer friend arrived about 9 a.m. and she's one of the funniest people I know. So we basically spent the entire morning cracking jokes, telling stories, putting updates on Facebook, and almost twiddling our thumbs. My second dose of antibiotics had been administered and we were waiting for the excitement to begin.
Around noon, the nurse came in and said she'd spoken to the midwife. The midwife had asked if I'd be opposed to a "whiff" of pitocin, all things considering and that I was still only 4cm dilated. I must have given a nonapproving facial expression because she quickly said we could wait if I wanted. It was still my choice. Considering my midwife is usually not quick to suggest such a route, we knew we needed to get something going somehow. At this point, it was still the general consensus that the baby's head was not yet properly positioned for significant dilation to occur. My doula suggested I lay on each side for 15 minutes and try to get him moving. And then the fun began! I instantly noticed my contractions were much more painful and harder to tolerate.
After I had laid on each side for 15 minutes, it was 2 p.m. I got up off my side and began to labor by "hugging" the back of my bed, sitting on my knees. Things were finally happening! About 30-45 minutes later, I began feeling a great deal of pressure. My doula quickly called the nurse in and I was 7cm dilated. It was about time! But I wasn't convinced there was much time left. I kept telling them, "this kid is coming!" The nurse rushed the necessary staff into the room and began prepping for delivery. Forgetting it was Friday and my midwife's office closes at noon, there was a miscommunication between nurse and the midwife was not able to get there in time. The nurse prepped to deliver the baby herself (and just about did). After hearing what was going on, a random OBGYN in the hallway said she could come in if my midwife didn't make it.
Another contraction later, she asked me to turn around in my bed. I kept telling them the baby was coming but after checking me again, she said I was still not complete and only 7-8cm dilated. Maybe two or three contractions later, that quickly changed. Not even intentionally "pushing", his head came out during a contraction. At that point, they told me to go ahead and push on the next and I'd have him. Sure enough, one push later, he made his entrance at 3:06 p.m. (do that math!).
A very different story from my other births for sure. This was the first time my water has ever broken prior to being in the middle of labor. I'm sure the membrane sweeping could be the reason for that. Though I was technically in labor for about 12 hours, only the last hour or so was even that unpleasant. Of course it makes sense when I went from 4-10cm in just a tad over an hour! THAT hour was certainly difficult. My midwife did show up about five minutes after delivery and was totally apologetic about the miscommunication. Of course by the time I delivered, I didn't care who delivered the baby, as long as he came out! I didn't have to have any stitches - another blessing of small babies. We enjoyed "kangaroo care" for an hour and then found out he weighed a whopping 6lbs, 11.5oz and 19 1/2in - my biggest baby to date!
What an amazing miracle childbirth is. As I write this, Daniel is 12 days old. We've been able to reflect on God's goodness and the sweetness of adding another child to our family. Our hearts are overflowing and we're adjusting well. Thank you for all of the prayers and help over the past 10 months. Check out a ton of pictures here. We are grateful for our amazing friends and family!
Take care,
Terra
On Thursday, December 13th, I went to the office for my appointment, NST, and ultrasound. Well, long story short, I was scheduled for the appointment but somehow was never scheduled for the rest. I was actually somewhat okay with that because I figured if I didn't have the tests, we couldn't find anything wrong. I could wait a few more days and hope I went into labor on my own before having to do them. After trying to figure out why I was never scheduled, the receptionist accidentally put my paper in the wrong pile and then they forgot about me. Fortunately, I had not even noticed by the time they came out to apologize. So after a funny and delayed start, I was called back for my appointment.
After weighing in (at a grand total of 34 1/2lbs - my highest!), checking BP and so forth, I was taken back to the room to wait for the midwife. She came in, asking if I was tired of everyone asking when the baby was going to arrive. I laughed and said I was tired of wondering that myself. Before she checked for dilation, she asked, "Do you want me to be easy on you today or no?" I looked at her, slightly confused but just said, "I don't know what I want at this point." Ha. Well, by the end of our appointment, my membranes had been swept and I was told I was 2cm dilated. She said the baby's head was down but turned slightly and that was probably the hold-up. She explained possible symptoms to expect over the next 24 hours and said she expected the baby to be here by the weekend. Keep in mind, at this point, I was officially five days past my due date with baby number four. Crazy.
Following the appointment, James and I went to Panera for lunch. This is actually pertinent to the story because every one of my labors have involved Panera in some form or fashion. I started having some mild cramping that lasted until about nine that night and then subsided. But otherwise, nothing exciting was happening. I made sure I had all of my bags packed, "just in case" and then went to bed.
Fast forward to 3 a.m. I was startled awake feeling suddenly wet. I got out of bed to go to the restroom, thinking my water may have broken but there was nothing else leaking. However, I almost immediately started having extremely strong contractions, very close together. I quickly woke up James and told him we needed to prepare to leave. When I was up and moving around, the contractions continued but as soon as I sat or laid down, they started slowing. So then I began doubting myself and wondering whether I was having false labor again. I texted my doula and asked for her thoughts. She suggested that I sit for about thirty minutes and time my contractions. If they were real, they'd continue. Well, they continued but slowed significantly - to only one every fifteen minutes or so. Frustrated and tired, at around 4:30 or 5 a.m., I decided to sit in my recliner and try to sleep a tad. I dozed off but awoke consistently every twelve minutes or so with a contraction. Then I'd doze off again and the cycle continued. Finally, at about 6 a.m., my water very obviously broke. There was no longer any doubt in my mind, it was time to have a baby!
We made the necessary phone calls, got our belongings and headed to the hospital. Considering it was soon to be rush hour and I was Group B Strep positive, we did not want to waste any time. We arrived in a very easy going fashion. My contractions were slowing down, so getting ready and in a room were pretty uneventful. My doula arrived and the nurse got me started on the antibiotics. The next several hours were pretty funny - quite literally. My contractions were almost nil. Seriously, we were walking the halls, rocking on a ball, swaying by my bedside and NOTHING exciting was happening! The contractions were between 5-10 minutes apart but were not very strong at all. My photographer friend arrived about 9 a.m. and she's one of the funniest people I know. So we basically spent the entire morning cracking jokes, telling stories, putting updates on Facebook, and almost twiddling our thumbs. My second dose of antibiotics had been administered and we were waiting for the excitement to begin.
Around noon, the nurse came in and said she'd spoken to the midwife. The midwife had asked if I'd be opposed to a "whiff" of pitocin, all things considering and that I was still only 4cm dilated. I must have given a nonapproving facial expression because she quickly said we could wait if I wanted. It was still my choice. Considering my midwife is usually not quick to suggest such a route, we knew we needed to get something going somehow. At this point, it was still the general consensus that the baby's head was not yet properly positioned for significant dilation to occur. My doula suggested I lay on each side for 15 minutes and try to get him moving. And then the fun began! I instantly noticed my contractions were much more painful and harder to tolerate.
After I had laid on each side for 15 minutes, it was 2 p.m. I got up off my side and began to labor by "hugging" the back of my bed, sitting on my knees. Things were finally happening! About 30-45 minutes later, I began feeling a great deal of pressure. My doula quickly called the nurse in and I was 7cm dilated. It was about time! But I wasn't convinced there was much time left. I kept telling them, "this kid is coming!" The nurse rushed the necessary staff into the room and began prepping for delivery. Forgetting it was Friday and my midwife's office closes at noon, there was a miscommunication between nurse and the midwife was not able to get there in time. The nurse prepped to deliver the baby herself (and just about did). After hearing what was going on, a random OBGYN in the hallway said she could come in if my midwife didn't make it.
Another contraction later, she asked me to turn around in my bed. I kept telling them the baby was coming but after checking me again, she said I was still not complete and only 7-8cm dilated. Maybe two or three contractions later, that quickly changed. Not even intentionally "pushing", his head came out during a contraction. At that point, they told me to go ahead and push on the next and I'd have him. Sure enough, one push later, he made his entrance at 3:06 p.m. (do that math!).
A very different story from my other births for sure. This was the first time my water has ever broken prior to being in the middle of labor. I'm sure the membrane sweeping could be the reason for that. Though I was technically in labor for about 12 hours, only the last hour or so was even that unpleasant. Of course it makes sense when I went from 4-10cm in just a tad over an hour! THAT hour was certainly difficult. My midwife did show up about five minutes after delivery and was totally apologetic about the miscommunication. Of course by the time I delivered, I didn't care who delivered the baby, as long as he came out! I didn't have to have any stitches - another blessing of small babies. We enjoyed "kangaroo care" for an hour and then found out he weighed a whopping 6lbs, 11.5oz and 19 1/2in - my biggest baby to date!
What an amazing miracle childbirth is. As I write this, Daniel is 12 days old. We've been able to reflect on God's goodness and the sweetness of adding another child to our family. Our hearts are overflowing and we're adjusting well. Thank you for all of the prayers and help over the past 10 months. Check out a ton of pictures here. We are grateful for our amazing friends and family!
Take care,
Terra
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Week 39: Hanging in There
As I'm writing this journal, I'm 40 weeks and one day. So I thought it may be wise to go ahead and write as this baby surely has to come sooner or later - right?
This week's midwife appointment went super fast and smooth. I did not have my dilation checked because I figured it was pointless when I hadn't had any significant contractions prior. I gained no more weight as I've mostly stayed at 34lbs for the last several weeks. I did share with her my concerns about being over due and what the next steps would be. She tried to encourage me and remind me I didn't have to make any decisions just yet. I scheduled my appointment one week out (which will put me 40wks and 5days). At that point, I'll have a non-stress test and an ultrasound to check my fluid levels. Pending the results of all that will determine our next step. So right now, my big prayer is that I'll go into labor myself before then and not have to worry about it! Actually, with Sophia, that's exactly what happened. I went into labor about 1am the morning I was scheduled to go in for those tests.
Last night, I started having a great deal of indigestion and then contractions about 5:30pm. They continued until about 7:30 or so but then they dissipated significantly. I thought for a bit I was headed towards labor but alas, it was not to be. Those are probably the most I've had for any continued amount of time this pregnancy. That's encouraging at least.
Honestly, I'm not really miserable or anything at this point.... I'm just impatient and excited. I want to meet this little man! I go to bed every night wondering if it's the "night." I have certainly had my share of heartburn here at the end and the last several weeks have also included a great deal of evening nausea (outside of the stomach bug issue). Fortunately the nausea has been much better these last few days. I'll take every little blessing!
The kids are finally getting over their colds/coughs. Sophia's was croupy to begin with but got better. Then Hannah and Benjamin got it and lastly, Hannah's turned into walking pneumonia. By God's great grace, the day after she got on antibiotics for it, she started feeling SO much better. Truly a blessing. So unless we catch something else between now and then, we should hopefully be done with illness by the time Daniel arrives.
So there's my update. Hopefully my next post will be the birth story... But only time will tell! ;)
Until next time...
Take care,
Terra
This week's midwife appointment went super fast and smooth. I did not have my dilation checked because I figured it was pointless when I hadn't had any significant contractions prior. I gained no more weight as I've mostly stayed at 34lbs for the last several weeks. I did share with her my concerns about being over due and what the next steps would be. She tried to encourage me and remind me I didn't have to make any decisions just yet. I scheduled my appointment one week out (which will put me 40wks and 5days). At that point, I'll have a non-stress test and an ultrasound to check my fluid levels. Pending the results of all that will determine our next step. So right now, my big prayer is that I'll go into labor myself before then and not have to worry about it! Actually, with Sophia, that's exactly what happened. I went into labor about 1am the morning I was scheduled to go in for those tests.
Last night, I started having a great deal of indigestion and then contractions about 5:30pm. They continued until about 7:30 or so but then they dissipated significantly. I thought for a bit I was headed towards labor but alas, it was not to be. Those are probably the most I've had for any continued amount of time this pregnancy. That's encouraging at least.
Honestly, I'm not really miserable or anything at this point.... I'm just impatient and excited. I want to meet this little man! I go to bed every night wondering if it's the "night." I have certainly had my share of heartburn here at the end and the last several weeks have also included a great deal of evening nausea (outside of the stomach bug issue). Fortunately the nausea has been much better these last few days. I'll take every little blessing!
The kids are finally getting over their colds/coughs. Sophia's was croupy to begin with but got better. Then Hannah and Benjamin got it and lastly, Hannah's turned into walking pneumonia. By God's great grace, the day after she got on antibiotics for it, she started feeling SO much better. Truly a blessing. So unless we catch something else between now and then, we should hopefully be done with illness by the time Daniel arrives.
So there's my update. Hopefully my next post will be the birth story... But only time will tell! ;)
Until next time...
Take care,
Terra
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