Labor, Delivery, & A Thing Called Baby

Time and sleep is of the essence, so I'll keep this post short and sweet with pictures of the whirlwind of events/emotions that happened this past week. I'll post more in-depth stories of our birth story and our first week home at another time, so be sure to check in later!

And, proudly introducing our adorable daughter for the first time ever...
Ava Madelyn Yumi Morimatsu
7 lbs 8 0z
21 inches long
Born February 24, 2009 @ 2:15pm

Pics!

Sorry, the pictures came out kinda small. It's the best I could do with limited time and resources. We will definitely post more later.

She's here!

She's finally here. Mommy and baby are healthy and doing well. Liane was a true warrior and I have a new respect for all women who have gone through child birth. I will let her tell the story in a later post. For now here's her stats:

Date: Februrary 24th 2009
Time: 2:15 pm
Weight: 7 lbs. 8 oz.
Length: 21 inches
Name: TBD

I will try my best to post some pictures tonight so check back later.

"Time to get nuts..."

Hi this Kent. Due to circumstances I will be your guest blogger today. Liane made sure that I kept all you people updated of today's events. This morning was one of those cold, gloomy, rainy Oregon days where it feels so good to stay in the comfort of your warm bed. I woke up early, however, to vibrating chihuahua spooning the back of my knees. At first I tried to ignore it, but after about 5 minutes of non-stop gyrating I realized that the chihuahua was having a seizure. I carried Vincent downstairs and put him down on the carpet where he continued to seize for a good 45 minutes. If you've never seen a dog have a seizure, it's a pitiful sight. His four legs go completely stiff making it impossible for him to stand without falling over while he convulses and stares into your eyes with a heartbreaking look that screams, "Please help me!". Once his seizure had run it's course I took him outside where he proceeded to pee, poop, and barf all simultaneously. That part was pretty cool actually. Normally I'm a morning person and like to start my day pretty early, but I decided to crawl back into bed and ended up sleeping for another 3-4 hours. Inside my head a voice was telling me cherish the opportunity to get some rest because the end was near. We finally got up around noon and went to Liane's 39 week doctor appointment. After a series of routine tests the doctor informed us that Lia's blood pressure has a bit high and that she recommended we go to maternity floor of the hospital for more testing. Her blood pressure remained slightly high and the doctor recommended that labor be induced. After a long discussion, it was decided that Lia would be admitted and she would be given pitocin to induce contractions. Lia was initially shocked, then elated, then scared, but mostly happy that the end was near and babymo was about to make her debut. I ran home to get our bags that had been packed and let the dogs out. When I got back Lia was a little cranky because the egg salad sandwich she had ordered 2 hours ago had not come yet. I ran down to the cafeteria and got her pretzels, yogurt, and juice which improved her mood. After her snack a Vietnamese nurse came in and began the pitocin around 10:30pm. Liane had this nervous look on her face like she had just got on to a roller coaster and there was no turning back. I helped get comfortable and encouraged her to sleep. As I type this Lia is trying to get some rest, but probably not sleeping. Now the waiting begins. I have no clue what to expect over the next 12 hours. The doctor said that the contractions will get stronger and stronger and if all goes as planned the baby will be here sometime tomorrow. I can't even begin to fathom how my life is about to change. All the planning, all the preparation comes down to this. I can't believe this day has finally come. I'm so excited and so terrified at the same time. Yesterday was the 5 year anniversary of my father's death. I asked him to give me the strength and courage to be a good father to my daughter.

Made It Through the Night

And heading out to a doctor's appointment in the next few hours for my 39 week check-up. Hopefully, the doctor will tell me something favorable from last week and I'll have good news to post this afternoon.

Alive, Tired, and Babyless...

I just recently woke from my short afternoon nap to realize that I had 6 missed calls, all from concerned friends and family frantically asking why I hadn't picked up the phone or why the blog wasn't updated since Friday. The hysteria that babymo made her appearance without notice to anyone was apparently shared by many....and for that, my most sincere apologies for the lack of communication and unnecessary scare!

Rest assured though that babymo is still snugly and happily sleeping and playing INSIDE my tummy; I'm completely convinced that I've made too much of a comfortable home for her, which is why she's refusing to come out. Babymo better have more game than that since her ever resourceful momma has been maniacally googling everything under the sun to find information on bringing on labor naturally and getting her out!!! To give everyone a quick snapshot of what my tactics have been so far: I have eaten/been eating spicy foods, repeatedly bouncing on an exercise ball, doing lunges, and of course walking, walking, and more walking. All of these activities have been stimulating contractions, but not long enough for me to really believe that babymo is serious about coming out anytime soon...!

But now that I've given my unfortunate update that I'm still home, still pregnant, and still waiting...I'm off to eat my spicy dinner and then for a walk. Keep your fingers and toes crossed that this will help speed up the labor process...!

Oh and last but definitely not least...HAPPY BIRTHDAY KOREN! I know your birthday request was to have babymo share your birthday today, but I'm not so sure she's being entirely cooperative anymore. The night is still young, so hopefully she might hear your birthday wish and decided to make an appearance tonight. She and I will have another little talk-to and maybe, just maybe, she'll do it for you... :)

False Alarm...We Think!

For all of you keeping track of my blog with the latest and greatest news on the babymo front...I sincerely apologize if I scared/excited you about today's possible prospect...I think it may have been a false alarm. Maybe.

With the contractions hitting an all time high, I was definitely surprised at the intensity and pain I experienced today. At one point, I seriously thought we were having the baby. It was that bad. Kent got everything ready to go in the car and I thought 'cool, this is actually happening; we're having a baby!'.

But to double/triple check that I wasn't just freaking out at Braxton Hicks contractions, we decided to walk around the neighborhood and do different things to see if this was the real deal or just "practice". The walking definitely triggered more intense contractions, but changing positions/sitting/resting slowed it down a bit. As a result, we decided to stay home and monitor things. Around 3pm this afternoon, sitting was manageable and the pain I've been feeling went away. The tightening around my belly was still coming regularly, but no pain...yay! Kent and I were both emotionally and physically exhausted and calmed down enough to take a nap and get some well deserved rest. Although the regular contractions have stopped, I can't help but think that this could also be pre-labor.

At my 38 week appointment yesterday, the doctor told me that I was almost 2 cm dilated and 60% effaced. For those of you that don't know, you have to be 100% effaced (meaning that the cervix has to be completely thinned) and 10 cm dilated in order to push. This, of course, would also be accompanied by the motherload of contractions, since that is what allows your cervix to efface and dilate. The hospital also won't technically admit you (at least ours) unless you are 4 cm dilated or having really intense/close contractions, signaling that active labor is nearby. With the look of things at this point, the doctor thinks I will most likely have babymo before my due date (March 4th). I was told that statistically 80% of women go into labor either 2 weeks before or after their due date; the other 20% will be within a day or two of their DD.

So, who knows at this point...it all seems like a crap shoot. After today's ordeal, I have no idea what to expect and when to expect it. I am just going to hope for the best and prepare for the worst....you never know, right?!

Oh, and here are some pictures I thought everyone might enjoy (thanks to Kent)...he wanted to document my misery this afternoon with the really intense contractions. I threw in an obligagtory belly shot since people have been asking me how big my stomach is (!) and the dog at the bottom is Vincent, the seizing chihuahua we are watching....FUN TIMES!

Update...Sort Of

So the intense pain and tightening I've been feeling have apparently been real, hard core contractions. I think.

I've read every book there is on babies and labor and what to expect, taken the classes, and spoken to everyone and their sister on their birth experiences...but let me tell you, when it's actually happening and *something* feels amiss, you question yourself. At least I have been.

I keep thinking back to last night to logically deduce if it was the spicy food at dinner that's creating this pain (quite possibly), the way I slept on my side (maybe), or a pulled muscle (highly unlikely, but who knows...). I just can't wrap my head around the fact that I'm having contractions. Other women have contractions...the one's from the books I've read and the ones who've had babies. Not me, not yet. I mean, I know I'm at 38 weeks (exactly today!), but it's still hard to believe. I've been waiting for a distinct, noticeable "click", if you will, of a light switch that would tell me it's time and I'm having a baby. The slow, barely noticeable increase in pain and discomfort of the contractions, however, have thrown me for a loop since I've been able to cope with it so far. I guess this is nature's way of allowing women to adjust gradually to the immense pain ahead. Which is a good thing, since I see pregnancy the same way - you have 10 months to slowly adjust and take in all the wonderful (and scary!) changes to bring you to a final 'a-ha' moment when the baby comes.

So...for all you reading this and wondering if babymo will make her debut today...I don't know what to tell you. I definitely feel like the intensity of pain/tightening/pressure has come to an all time high today, and hope that this is the start of our journey as a family. I hope it's sooner than later, and I hope it will continue to be as "calming" as it has been (I totally thought I would be a panic stricken mess when the actual time came...). Because if this is Braxton Hicks contractions...I'm screwed.

And for a final update - I think Kent also read my blog this morning and knows exactly how I feel as I've been giving him the meanest stink eye every time he asked me 'where does it hurt', 'tell me when it starts', 'should we go to the hospital'? And as a result, has been cramming (if it's even humanly possibly) to prepare for the baby and take me to the hospital at a moments notice. He's been really accommodating, sincere, and most of all, awake. I feel safe, taken care of, and genuinely calm. If I can get through this annoying pains, then I actually think I'll live without killing someone in the meanwhile.

More to come later, as I should probably focus on keeping better time on my contractions...writing has definitely helped me keep my mind off of things, so please excuse all the typos and spelling errors!

Keep you fingers and toes crossed that babymo is ready to meet the world today (or tomorrow, at the latest!).

Vent

At this moment, it is around 7:45am on a dreary Wednesday morning and I have been up for the past 2 hours due to...could it be, contractions?! Last night was the first night in a long time that I was actually able to sleep for more than a 2 hour stretch. I got up ONCE at 3am to use the bathroom and went right back to bed...totally not the norm that has been my sleeping habit for the past 10 weeks or so. I woke up to get ready for work, only to notice I had intense pain on the right side of my abdomen/pelvis. I thought the pain was due to the way I had possibly slept, but it kept coming and going as I was putting on my make-up and getting ready. I went through my mental checklist of all the things I could do to make it stop and it's still coming regularly. So just to be extra sure, I called the doctor, told them what I'm feeling and they asked me to come in to the hospital. Rather than jump the gun and be one of those women who go in for false labor, I want to remain home for a while and see if it eases up or stops altogether. So far, not good. I'm still feeling something....

And to my vent...

Although I am overjoyed and excited at the possibility that I may be able to meet my daughter today, I am also extremely frustrated and overwhelmed by the feeling that I have taken on too much to handle. What I mean when I say this is the fact that I am afraid that I will now have 2 babies to take care of - babymo and my husband.

To his defense, he has been as helpful as HE can be, offering to massage my back, take out the trash, or walk the dog. But for the most part, still quite co-dependant. Our expectations and tolerances are certainly at different levels, and understandably so since we are two separate people (but it's still very frustrating). I feel like he doesn't quite understand the severity of our situation (WE'RE HAVING A BABY AND I NEED HELP!) and is going about in zombie mode. Here's why...

- I still work 9-9.5 hour days at work in addition to commuting 2 hours RT AND I've still managed to cook us a healthy, homemade dinner every night. AND breakfast on the weekends. HELLO...a little help here!

- He'll start the laundry and forget (always) to transfer it to the dryer. The act of doing the laundry is moot at this point since we ALWAYS have to re-wash everything since it SMELLS like mildew!

- After spending time downloading comforting music for my labor CD, I asked him to simply burn the music to a disc. He did, and I asked him if he tested it to see if it worked. He got upset at this and asked why I need to test it. Well, I tested it and it DIDN'T work. The music never got burned to the disc the first time, which is why WE TEST THINGS.

- As I'm slightly panicked with the "contractions" and walking in circles around the house, Kent has graciously and miraculously went back to sleep.

- He offered to babysit his co-worker's chihuahua that has problems with seizures and convulsions. Um, hello...we need as much rest as possible, and incurring yet another responsibility at this point is a little overwhelming.

- To help with the "contractions" I told Kent that I was going for a walk...hint, hint (WAKE UP!). He tells me to take Oliver with me and goes back to sleep. WTF.

- Rather than going for a walk, I've been downstairs washing the dishes, folding laundry, and reading up on what to expect during labor. AND writing this post (which is actually really making me feel a lot better...). I can hear him snoring right now...

Okay, I'm going to stop now since I may not be able to stop if I continue listing my grievances. As you can all tell, I am on the verge of losing "it"....whatever "it" may be. And at this point, I hope "it's" the baby since my mind is definitely the next thing on the list....

Random, Non-Pregnancy Related Internet Stuff...

Seriously, people...wtf. Who has time to make pie charts on things like this? It was pretty funny though and actually made me laugh out loud...so I had to share!

6 lbs 14 oz

Today’s blog title is not an estimate or wish of babymo’s birth weight. It is the dream shattering reality that I will most likely have to birth a HUGE ass baby.

At our ultrasound appointment today, the sonographer gave us the estimated weight of the baby AS IS, RIGHT NOW. Now for all you math challenged people, this means the baby is just a smidge off of being 7 pounds right now (think of a small watermelon or a giant cantaloupe) and still has a good 3 weeks to gain another pound and a half. A POUND AND A HALF MORE in addition to the already whopping 7 pounds. On the brighter side of things, I’m thankful that babymo will be a healthy chub-a-lub that will be a fat and happy little thing. Fat and happy go great together so what more could I wish for, right?

On the other hand, thinking about birthing a 9 and a half pound baby is mind numbing and downright unnatural. At least I know that all those Cheetos I’ve recently been craving has been going to a good cause… :). Babymo is a little hungry pac-man that is off to a nice, healthy start!

What the Eff...

I’ve been staring at my feet for the past 10 minutes in disbelief, as I cannot comprehend that the appendage I am looking at actually belongs to me.

Let me begin by stating that I AM NOT a foot person and quite frankly, have always had relatively FUGLY feet to begin with. My toes are short, my feet are wide, my nails are almost never painted, and the pinky toe…well, let’s just not even go there. That’s just a disaster I wouldn’t even know how to categorize. That said, I thought I’d give everyone a nice scare today with photos of my nasty, fat, swollen, extra fugly feet (viewer discretion advised):

This is THE first time in my life that I can honestly say that I've experienced anything close to having 'cankles'....and it scares the living daylights out of me! Considering it’s February and pretty cold up here in Oregon, I can’t even begin to imagine the aches and pains pregnant women in the summer feel. Heat makes swelling worse, and with the weather fairing in the 50’s right now, I know I shouldn’t complain but rather give a BIG THANKS to the pregnancy Gods.

According to Google, the best thing to help remedy swollen feet are to elevate them, rub them, or wear compression socks. Well Google, it looks like I’m screwed since I don’t have the flexibility right now to elevate my feet or even remotely reach my feet to rub the poor things. And compression socks…what the hell?! If I can’t rub them, I sure as hell can’t put no socks on …I can’t even reach past my knees at this point! I’m just a giant butterball weeble that’s surviving day to day on hopes that I’ll be in the small 2 percent of women who go into labor early.

Conclusion: I’m screwed and will have to endure having Jimmy Dean sausage toes and puffy feet for the next 3 weeks. AWESOME.

Home Stretch

Today officially marks the last month of pregnancy. Can I get a woot-woot?!

Here are some things that have changed as I enter this leg of the race:

1) I need five pillows to sleep at night - one for my head, one for my belly, one between my legs, one to hug, and one for my chest.
2) I officially waddle.
3) You can see my unborn child roll over inside me, a site that equally amazes and creeps out my husband.
4) I eat Tums like candy.
5) I now can fit only 2 pairs of shoes since I went up an entire size.
6) I have a hard time doing dishes because my stomach hits the sink first and my arms can barely reach. I feel like a T-rex.
7) My swelling goes up in direct proportion to the temperature outside. Refer to the 'cankle' blog.
8) I'll have a burst of energy where I feel almost human followed by a need to nap equivalent to that of a crackwhore's need for, well, crack.
9) People now look at me with pity when I try and bend over to retrieve things.
10) The floor is almost constantly littered with stuff because picking them up is more effort than kicking them around.
11) The clothes I bought that "should last the whole pregnancy" is actually getting a little snug...

And the ‘Greatest Husband in the Universe Award’ goes to…

My very own hubby, Kent!

Now that I’m officially one month away from my due date, it seems like the flood gates of pregnancy hell have given way and finally broken down. To all those negative Nelly’s that sought out my woes and pains for their own sick pleasure (and you know who you are!!!)…here’s to you:

I’ve finally (somewhat) succumbed to putting my positive, sunny attitude to the wayside and accepted the fact that I am on the verge of “popping” and not very comfortable. I hate to say this since I’m afraid that (dare I say) my negative thoughts might manifest into actual negative actions and behavior. But, I want to ‘keep it real’ and not appear to be in some crazy dreamworld of unicorns, rainbows, and sunshine where 'everything's great' and 'everything's perfect'. I DO NOT want to be one of those people.

So, for my recent third trimester checkpoint of new and interesting quirks and pains, I've been realizing that the immense pressure in my pelvis (since the baby has "dropped" and is essentially 'locked and loaded'...), my lower back has also been suffering as a result. My poor hubby, on the other hand, has it much worse than me since he gets to be the one listening to all my whining and complaining... :).

I came home today unfortunately in "one of my moods" (I had road rage...not to make an excuse...), and rather than taking the easy road of lashing back at me, he has been the ultimate sweetheart. He helped me upstairs and told me he had a present. A "happy early birthday" for babymo since her due date is exactly one month away. The first thing I thought was that he bought me a king size bag of peanut m&m's (don't ask me why, I know I'm crazy...), but instead, this is what I saw:

A freaking massage chair!!! He had gone on his lunch break today (apparently after doing extensive research) and bought this chair to be able to comfortably massage me. Since I can no longer lie on my stomach or side or any other angle, massages have been an impossible task. This chair is a God-sent since I can sit upright and let my big ol' belly hang out and not get squished. So, in addition to his AMAZING and THOUGHTFUL gift, he gave me THE BEST back massage ever. I'm so lucky I feel like I could cry...!

Home Stretch

With only four more weeks to go before my DD, it’s been an interesting challenge to try and maintain a healthy diet to ensure that babymo tips the scale more towards the 6-7 lbs range instead of 8-9 lbs. This of course is an obvious concern for any to-be mother about to have her first very real birth experience. The weight difference of the baby, so my wise doctor says, is totally up to the food choices I make in the remaining weeks of my pregnancy. Now that babymo has crossed all her critical developmental milestones, her job these last few weeks is just to sit tight, chill, and fatten up. Any extra sugar or carbs that pass my lips here on out will either help or hinder me when she decides to make her debut in a couple weeks. And for all you slow pokes out there processing this information, I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT want to have a 9-10 pounder if I have any say about it!!

So, to help me in my cause to deliver an average weight baby that won’t leave me with birth PTSD, I’ve been sticking to a fairly strict diet of salads, fruits, and veggies. And although it’s not been easy, I’ve been very good for the most part with the occasional tiny indulgence after dinner. In my opinion, there’s nothing like a horrific birth story that involves a large baby to frighten you into making healthy eating choices.

And although my waistline hasn’t suffered too badly, I am at a point where my will power is tested daily with all the palatable salty/sweet snacks that I seem to zone in on everywhere I go – oversized cookies the size of my face, chewy bagels in every flavor, warm brownies that appear to be melting before my eyes, creamy ice cream and frothy drinks…AHHHHH!!!

Each day is a challenge and I TOTALLY and UTTERLY feel like this:


If you’re reading this now, PRAY for me to have the strength to keep up this madness for the next 4 weeks and have the willpower to fight off all the little Girl Scouts that try to sell me their evil treats (omg, what I would do for a thin mint right now…) or the free Cinnabon tray I ALWAYS see at the grocery store….

Now that I’ve exercised my demonic sweet tooth for today, I’m going walk myself to the kitchen to eat one of the many nutritious snacks I prepared in advance – should I have egg whites with Tabasco and Ketchup, low fat cottage cheese, or a yogurt? Let’s all say it now, “yummmmmm’….