Zoey's Newborn Pictures

Quick post today... I just wanted to share with you the pictures that my Mom took of Zoey last week while she was here! This was my mom's first newborn shoot, and I think she did a fantastic job! Thanks Mommy!

Our first week at home: Jaundice, formula, and my must haves.

Zoey is 10 days old today, and today was my first day at home without any help... My mom went back home yesterday, and my husband worked from 6am-2pm, so it was just me and Z all day long. I was nervous, but all things considered, it went pretty well. I nursed her before we got out of bed, and she slept for a good solid 3 and a half hours... I got the dishes done, half of the laundry cleaned, folded, and put away (still a work in progress), bathrooms cleaned, trash taken out, my closet cleaned (Whoa!), and the desk in the kitchen cleaned and de-junked. She did awesome! When she wasn't sleeping, she just sat and stared... She really has been a great, happy baby!

She smiles A LOT! She's either very happy, or very gassy. :)

Last week, we battled with the jaundice levels... We went to the doctor for bilirubin tests every day, and she ended up with a grand total of NINE holes in her poor little heels! It broke my heart. We fought against supplementing with formula, until it got to the point that her levels were no longer going down... they jumped 2 and a half points in a day and she was a point away from going under the lights again. So after many tears, we switched her to nothing but formula. Apparently, bilirubin is better flushed out with formula... something about how it doesn't attach itself well enough to breast milk. It definitely wasn't a supply issue... My milk came in on day 4. Anyway, I hated it. Every single stinking minute. And I can't lie... I snuck in one nursing feeding. I don't know if she needed it more, or if I did. I think it made us both feel better. Her stomach got torn to pieces... She threw up and had diarrhea, and it was horrible! BUT, after 3 days, her jaundice is down! They're going to check on her again next week, but she's much less yellow and her eyes are even starting to turn white! I switched back to breastfeeding only, and her little tummy is so much better. She's still a bit gassy, but she's much happier and is sleeping easier. I'm so glad that the endless doctor's visits and heel pokes are over with!

All things considered, her first week at home has been pretty easy. She's on a pretty good schedule of eating about every 3-4 hours (although she'll go 4 and a half if I let her!), and she sleeps most of the time. She's getting more alert, but she's completely content in her bouncy seat or her swing. Which brings me to my must-have list! I have seen these on blogs, and it really helped me decide which things were important to have and which weren't. I hope my list helps someone too!

• Graco Pack n Play with Newborn Napper: I think a Pack n Play is on most everyone's registry, but Graco makes this nifty one that has a newborn napper attached. It's super soft and comfy, and keeps them at a slight incline. Zoey LOVES to sleep in it! I love it too, because it keeps her at arm's reach at night. The model that we have also has storage underneath... We have extra burp cloths, gowns, diapers, breast pads, and receiving blankets. It also has a vibration box under the newborn napper that can be moved underneath the bassinet when they're a bit older, and an attachment that plays music and has a light! It's a bit pricier, but amazingly worth it, especially if you plan on keeping your baby in the room with you for the first few months!

Graco Pack n Play with Newborn Napper in "Faith"

• Swaddling Blankets: Zoey loves to be swaddled! I have become a self-proclaimed expert at swaddling, after having at least 6 nurses show me how. One thing I learned is that everyone has a different way! Another thing I learned is that swaddling in the store-bought receiving blankets is impossible. I tried it once... She stayed swaddled for about .2 seconds, at which point all 4 limbs busted out of the swaddle at once. Hulk-Smash style. So we went to Joann and bought flannel in 5 cute patterns, and my friend Krystal serged the edges to make nice swaddling blankets for Z. We swaddle her every night, and she's instantly asleep! I really want some Aden & Anais swaddling blankets... but they're SO expensive! I settled for the security blankets instead (with the silk edges), and she loves them too!

Sleeping babies rock.

• Night light: Okay, so not just ANY nightlight... Mine rocks. It's an OXO Candela Tooli. I love this thing! Seriously, I couldn't live without it. I bought it when I was about 26 weeks, and I was constantly going to the bathroom, but bumping my belly into anything within a 6 foot radius. The cool thing about it is that it's rechargable and cordless. You pick it up off of the base, and it turns on. You set it down, it turns off. It has an 8 hour battery life, so you can leave it off of the base all night, and recharge it in the morning. It comes in handy now that Z is here too... We take it off of the base, and tuck it into the napper by her feet. Then I can be paranoid and check on her all night without turning on the lights! :D You can order one here! (This will take you to a rocket ship one, which is the same concept... You can buy the Tooli tops and change them out. Different colors, yeah!)

Mine is blue!

• Baby Carrier: I am a little obsessed with baby wearing. I have 3 carriers so far... A ring sling, a Moby, and an Infantino Sash mei-tai style. The only one I've tried so far is the ring sling, and Zoey loves to be in it! As soon as I put her in it the first time, she was asleep within a minute! It's nice to be able to carry her, but have both hands free... It is also an awesome cure for fussy-baby! I'm going to try the Moby tomorrow... I'm a little intimidated by all of the fabric, but I can't wait to try! I ordered my ring sling from Sleeping Baby Productions... She's been hand-sewing slings for 12 years, and the quality is fantastic! I received mine within a week of ordering it, and she sews them all to order.

Chillin'.

That's my list so far... There are a few more, like her Snugabunny Swing, Soothie, and my Medela Pump in Style... but these are my favorites!

Keep an eye out this week... I'll be posting her newborn pictures that my Mom took this week! Like this one:

Stay tuned! :)

Zoey is here!

After everything that we went through in the last few weeks, our sweet baby girl is finally here! Please meet Zoey Ava, born on 8/6/12 at 38 weeks and 2 days, weighing 8 pounds 12 ounces and measuring 20 and a half inches! I was induced on Sunday afternoon after going into early labor that morning... After 17 hours of labor and just an hour of pushing, she was here!! She had some trouble breathing at first and needed a bit of oxygen... She also has pretty bad jaundice due to the Cholestasis, and had to be given phototherapy treatment in an isolette... She is home now, breast feeding like a champ and being such a good, easy baby (SO FAR!). We love her so much already and are so glad to be home cuddling with our baby girl!!

My hubby and I

Relieved to have her in my arms!

Sweet little girl

:)

Love her.

Dr. Strnad, me, and my husband.

Love her squishy cheeks!

Chillin' under the Jaundice lights

Ready to go home!

All dressed up like a princess!

So, I guess I have Cholestasis... Here comes Zoey!

Update from my doctor's appointment today! My test results came back, and my bile acid levels are VERY high, so it seems that the answer to all of this insane itching is definitely Cholestasis. Guess what the solution is?

INDUCTION!

They sent me for a non-stress test, in which Zoey looked absolutely wonderful! They also saw that I'm having mild contractions that are pretty unpredictable at the moment... But I am 1.5 cm dilated and 70% effaced! He stretched my cervix (OW!), and said that he wants to schedule an induction for this Thursday morning!! The downside is that the Maternal-Fetal specialist wants to do an amnio to make sure her lungs are mature enough, so I have that scheduled on Wednesday at 10am. Yikes! But my nurse assured me that all will be fine, and that the worst that will happen at this point is that the amnio could make me go into labor. Hah!

I can't believe I will be holding my little girl by the end of this week! IN THREE DAYS! I can't believe it! I'm so relieved that there is finally an answer to my itching problem, and that there is a solution!! So the next time you see me, I'll be showing you a picture of my sweet baby!

Wish me luck!!

37 Weeks Pregnant!

FULL TERM!!!!!

How far along? 37 Weeks

Baby is: 6 1/3 lbs, and just over 19 inches (like a swiss chard)

Total weight gain: Lost 2 lbs since last week, so 25 now.

Maternity clothes? Yep, but lots of PJs lately.

Stretch marks? The ones on my hips are getting worse... On my left hip, I have a few small purple ones. :(

Sleep: Terrible. The itchy-ness is still really bad, and I've talked to my doctor and had blood tests done. More on that later.

Best moment this week? Getting and setting up Zoey's swing... which was officially the last item needed! 

Miss anything? Sleep without being itchy :(

Movement: Lots! Her feet are on my left side, so she constantly pokes out her little baby feets and her knees. Although, she's developed a habit of twisting her upper body around, which I feel in my lower stomach, and that really hurts.

Cravings? Nope.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope!

Labor signs: My BH are getting a bit painful, and starting to feel mildly what people say "real" contractions are like. Ow. 

Symptoms: I feel big. And very pregnant.

Belly Button in or out? Out!

Wedding rings on or off? Off. :(

Happy or moody most of the time? Not feelin' it this week... Probably the lack of sufficient sleep. 

Looking forward to: The end! We can't wait to meet Z... and I  have personally officially reached the point where I'm ready to be done. Come on, baby!


Now, about this itchy thing that's going on. Last Tuesday, after my 3rd consecutive night of extreme itching all over and being up all night clawing my skin off, I called my doctor's office in tears. I had an appointment the day before, and had mentioned it then, but not much was said about it.... And it was just too much to handle. I had done some research (Dr. Google to the rescue!) and came across a condition called Cholestasis. Basically, your liver stops working well, bile backs up into your blood stream and causes some pretty brutal itching. I didn't think too much about it until 2 friends mentioned THEIR friends that had it during pregnancy. Got me thinking, so I called and mentioned it to the nurse. She called me back and said that my Doctor requested for me to come in to get some blood work done. They tested my bilirubin levels and my bile salts levels, which will tell us if I have Cholestasis or not. Bilirubin tests came back normal, but the bile salt test isn't back yet, and that is the one that will conclusively tell us if that's what's wrong. It is possible for me to still have Cholestasis with normal Bili levels... So we'll see. Hopefully the test will be back this week... Maybe by my appointment tomorrow? Here's hoping. If it's positive, it can be quite risky to Miss Z, so I'm obviously hoping it's not... But at the same time, if it's negative, I'll still have no answer for this horrible itching issue. My doctor also called in some medicine for me, which I've been on for 3 days now, and it hasn't helped any. Please keep your fingers crossed that we get some answers!!

See you soon! 

36 Weeks Pregnant

How far along? 36 Weeks

Baby is the size of a: Crenshaw melon?? Almost 6 lbs and 18.5 inches. 

Total weight gain: Still 27 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Yep! And maxi dresses, and yoga pants. Mostly yoga pants.

Stretch marks? None on the belly, but some new ones popped up on my butt.

Sleep: Awful. I've been really itchy for the last 4 days or so... Like, my entire body! I've had to take Benadryl to get any sleep. :(

Best moment this week? Getting our carseat finally, finishing the bathroom, and just being able to relax!

Miss anything? Sleep. Wine. Core strength.

Movement: Tons! :)

Cravings? Still nothing weird. I haven't really had any uncontrollable cravings. 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope!

Labor signs: Still lots of Braxton Hicks. Getting more crampy, but I don't know if that's impending labor, or just regular pregnancy stuff. Also, *TMI*, I've lost a few pieces of my mucus plug over the last 2 days. Progress!

Symptoms: Same old, same old. 

Belly Button in or out? Out!

Wedding rings on or off? Off. :(

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy and much less stressed!

Looking forward to: Zoey! I can't believe she'll be here in less than a month... Only 26 days left until my due date!!

Doctor's appointment today was great. BP is still normal, and Zoey is officially head down! I'm on weekly appointments now. The only thing I'm nervous about is.... My doctor is going on vacation in 2 weeks! He'll be gone from 8/3 to 8/10... so, my 39th week. EEP! Here's hoping she doesn't decide to come that week!!

As I mentioned before, we finally got our travel system in the mail! I put it together all by myself, and it's SO CUTE!! We ordered it from Target. I love it because we wanted something NOT pink... The colors are white, black, and different shades of purple. The stroller folds REALLY easily, and it truly is one-handed! Also the storage bin under the stroller is really roomy, compared to some that I've seen!

Graco Dynamo Lite travel system in "Paige"

At my doctor's office, one of the nurses is certified in car seat installation... so I took the car seat and base, and she showed me how to install it! We also brought a teddy bear (remember her bear that Thomas and I made her at Build-a-Bear?) so she could show us how to adjust the straps.

Pinky made a really good stand-in Zoey!  I'm really glad she was there to show us how to install it... Now I just need to remember how to do it so I can install the other base in Thomas's car!

See you next week! :)

35 weeks pregnant and baby shower pictures!

Hey guys! Sorry this post is a bit later than normal... I had a very busy weekend! For starters, I quit my job of almost 7 years on Friday. I was supposed to work until the end of this week, but the foot swelling was getting out of hand, and my boss agreed that it would be better for me to go ahead and go. It was really emotional, and I'm really sad to leave, but I've felt (physically) much better since then! My feet are even back to normal-people-sized feet! I also had my 2 baby showers this weekend... one on Saturday with my family and friends, and one on Sunday at my boss's house with all of the work girls! Since then, I've been busy doing baby laundry and putting away all of the awesome gifts that Zoey got! She is totally set on clothes, diapers, wipes, and other necessities, and I feel a TON better and more prepared! We ordered her swing and carseat/stroller set yesterday, so those should be coming sometime toward the end of this week or beginning of next week. Then, we'll be totally ready!

Picture at my baby shower on Saturday

How far along? 35 weeks

Baby is the size of a: Honey dew melon in weight... 5 1/4 lbs and 18 inches long

Total weight gain: I don't remember what I was exactly at 35 weeks, but as of right now, I'm up 27 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Now that I'm not working, I'm mostly in either nightgowns, or yoga pants and tank tops. So much more comfy!

Stretch marks? Still none on the belly, just other places. 

Sleep: Better this week... I realized that I was kinda forgetting to eat, which was really interfering with my sleep. Once I started remembering to eat dinner, I started sleeping a lot better! I just don't get hungry anymore, which is really frustrating. I have to make an effort to remind myself to eat meals and snack regularly.

Best moment this week? As emotional as it was, leaving my job was a really great thing this week. It really feels like the start of a new chapter in my life... I'm glad I have this time to really get ready for our little girl! And, of course, my showers were amazing! Pictures in a sec!

Miss anything? Walking without being out of breath, being able to sit up on my own, or get up off of the floor without help... I can't wait to get my core strength back! lol

Movement: Lots and lots! She's either really happy, or really frustrated with the lack of space. 

Cravings? Nothing out of the ordinary.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope!

Labor signs: Lots and lots of BH, and they're getting strong. I got a bit dehydrated earlier this week, and they got pretty intense. Yet another thing I have to make a conscious effort to remember... Drink water! 

Symptoms: Still waking up with numb hands... Kinda over that, and I hope it leaves when pregnancy does! The foot swelling has eased up a lot since I've started staying home, thank goodness!

Belly Button in or out? Out!

Wedding rings on or off? Off. :(

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy this week, but emotional about everything. Mostly happy... I think it's had a lot to do with the cooler temps this week!

Looking forward to: Getting the last few necessities before Zoey gets here! I can't believe that I'll be full term in just a week and a half!!

Now for the shower pictures!

My best friend, mom and little sister threw me a shower with all of my friends and family on Saturday. We had a great turnout, with over 30 people!

The presents! This was taken early... There were lots more by the time it was time to open them! Everyone was SO generous!!!

The beautiful diaper cake that my sister made!

My sweet baby sister!

My friends and family made the day so special for me, Thomas, and Zoey!

My sweet best friend did a great job throwing the shower!

My good friend Desiree! :)

The next day, I had a baby shower/going away party at my boss's house! 

The sweet girls that I work with! I will truly miss these crazy ladies!

We had a pool party!

This man has put up with me since I was 19! Or did I put up with him? ;)

Once I got home, the organizing began! And it was nuts! Here's the aftermath of the shower on Saturday:

Notice the somewhat overwhelmed kitty in the mayhem.

My mom, Nannie, and Aunt Cindy all went in together and got Zoey a pack n play! This was essential for us, because she'll be sleeping in our room for the first few months. Thomas and I got it all set up that night, and it's adorable!

See you next week!