Joy's birthday

Here at last is the tale of my labor with Joy...at least it's as much as I can remember at this point. The past 4 months have been such a blur. I want to get back into a rhythm of blogging and of life in general, but I feel like before I can take a step forward, I need to look back.

On Friday, September 22, I had my 39 week check up and I was 80% effaced, but still about 2 cm dilated. Dr. Santiago told me that if the baby would just drop down a bit more, gravity and pressure would help move things along and she suggested I do some walking. Well, I followed doctor's orders and then some.

Tony, Cole, and I went out for lunch at Red Robin after my appointment, and I spent the rest of the day walking and shopping. I walked from Red Robin to Target and then did some laps around the mall. I walked until I had blisters and my back was too achy to tolerate any more exercise. I think we were out and about for 5 or 6 hours.

My cousin Bobby and his girlfriend Danielle were supposed to watch Cole when it was time to go to the hospital, but they were going away for the weekend for a wedding in PA. My mom decided to come down from NJ just in case, and I thought if nothing else, she would be a good diversion and help us pass the time.

Mom arrived at 11:30 p.m. on Friday, and we all went to bed about an hour later. I was sleeping in Cole's bed. Cole was on the futon with my mom and Tony had our bed to himself. I had been sleeping in Cole's room for months because I was a restless sleeper due to being generally uncomfortable.

I woke up from my first contraction at about 2 a.m. It was strong enough to wake me, but not very long. I noted the time and watched the clock waiting to see if I would have another contraction soon. I fell asleep, but then I had another contraction 7 minutes later. Now I was definitely awake and I watched the clock and 7 minutes later I felt my third contraction. They were strong, steady, but not very painful, so I quietly laid in Cole's little bed timing them for 45 minutes.

We live an hour and a half away from the hospital where I planned to deliver, so after the 45 minutes, I called the doctor's office and left a message with the service. My favorite doctor, Dr. Patel, the one who had also delivered Cole was on duty. I was so happy to hear her voice, but also sorry I had woken her. She was seven months pregnant at the time.

It was time to go to the hospital, and as I went upstairs to wake up Tony, he came running down. When Dr. Patel had returned my page, the phone woke him up. I told him it was time and to get Cole's suitcase out of the car. We had brought our suitcases to the doctor appointment earlier that day, just in case. Tony got dressed, while I woke up my mom.

Mom didn't even believe me at first. Panic seemed to set in and she was trying to rush us out the door while I showed her where things are and the special things I had set aside for Cole--a cookie with a big "C" on it, treats and games in his suitcase.

We made it to the hospital without any trouble at all. It was about 4:30 am. The contractions were getting closer together, but I was still comfortable and able to breathe. I don't think we hit a single red light during the entire trip.

Once at the hospital, I got checked in and we walked to the labor and delivery floor. I still felt good and didn't need the wheelchair. When we got off the elevator the nurses laughed at me. They had heard someone was coming up from Culpeper in active labor, and they thought I would be screaming by the time I got there. I laughed too, but I really felt fine.

I had a wonderful young nurse named Lavinia who hooked me up to the monitors to watch my contractions and the baby's heart rate. She took my health history and finished all the paperwork during the required hour of monitoring. I was at 3 cm, and she hooked me up to an IV to pump fluids in me in advance to prepare for a possible epidural and told me I could do whatever I wanted for the next hour as long as I stayed on the labor floor.

I wanted to walk, so Tony pushed my IV stand while we strolled in circles around the labor floor. The pain was getting stronger now and sometimes I had to stop and hold the wall while I waited for a contraction to pass. After a half hour I told him I was tired and I wanted to rest in the glider in the room for a few minutes. I sat down and almost immediately I had the strongest contraction ever. My abdomen was clenched and came to a point in the center of body, then I felt the pressure release and a trickle.

Tony paged the nurse to say we thought my water had broken and Lavinia quickly put me back on the monitor to check things out. I was now at 5 cm. The contractions were getting stronger faster now, and I watched one plateau on the monitor. It was kicking my butt and I said that out loud. I said I thought this was the last one I could handle, and she called for the anesthesiologist.

When I had asked for an epidural with Cole, I had waited an hour for someone to see me. This time I asked for one earlier because I was prepared to wait, but he came right away which was a big surprise. I probably would have waited longer if I had known he would come so soon. BUT, I'm glad I didn't wait. The next few contractions were very strong and I had very little break in between and I was getting winded.

Within 15 minutes of receiving the epidural, I saw my contractions go crazy on the monitor. There was no break at all, and I was grateful to be numb. The nurse checked me again and I was at 9 cm. I had gotten the epidural at the perfect time. If I had waited, it would have been too late.

Tony called his parents and finally reached my mom to let everyone know we had gotten to the hospital safely and were doing well. We had called my mom earlier but she had been sleeping and didn't hear the phone. By now it was 9:30 a.m.

Lavinia left and a new nurse took over. I cannot remember her name at the moment, but she was a kind, earth mother type with long red hair. She was calm, supportive, and had a warm smile and laugh. Dr. Patel had joined the party along with another nurse who would serve as "baby catcher".

Dr. Patel said it was time to do a test push, and I couldn't believe how smoothly everything was going. I had waited all day with Cole to push, and now just a few hours later, my body was ready for delivery. My mind was still trying to accept that it was time.

One test push, and the nurses and doctor began to break down the bed. It was time to get to work. Dr. Patel gave me a pep talk and reminded me on how to push, breathe, and to make sure I stopped when she told me to.

My epidural affected me differently this time. With Cole, I could feel the contractions but they were dull, and I couldn't feel anything else below the waist. This time, I couldn't feel contractions at all, but when I started to push and the baby began to move down I felt everything. It scared me because I was afraid that I was tearing even worse than I had the first time. Dr. Patel told me to stop pushing and I said, "it hurts." She reassured me, "I know it does, honey, but you're almost there." I hoped she was right and I beared down again when I saw the next contraction on the monitor. I pushed 3 or 4 times with about 3 or 4 contractions, fifteen minutes total, and then she arrived. I felt the relief of her slipping out and held her squirming on my chest. I could not believe how perfect she looked. She wasn't screaming, just crying and squirming and looking around.

I watched the baby catcher clean her up and weigh her, and Dr. Patel told me that I had done very well, and I didn't tear at all. Everything was perfect...my new daughter, my labor, and the delivery.

She's here!

Joy Linnea Rozwadowski was born Saturday, September 23, 2006 at 9:44 in the morning. She is exactly 7 lbs., 18 1/4 inches long, and positively perfect.

My labor began just 2 hours after my mother arrived for a weekend visit, and everything continued to go smoothly from there. At 3 a.m., the drive from Culpeper to Reston was no problem at all, and my favorite doctor (who had also delivered Cole) happened to be the one on-call.

Labor was much easier this time, and I'm amazed by how good I feel. I think I have more energy now than I did at any point during the pregnancy...but I also know that I'll need every ounce. :-)

I'll share more of the labor story once I find a free moment...haha.

Joy had her first pediatrician visit on Tuesday, 9/26, and she did very well. She only lost 7 oz., and I'll bring her back tomorrow for a weight check. She was VERY fussy the first night home, and I breathed a sigh of relief when my milk came in after her dr. check-up. Unfortunately, for reasons only Joy knows, she still had a fussy second night home. BUT, she has been sleeping very well since then.

Much like with Cole's trips to the doctor, we brought home the plague from the pediatrician's office and the whole household is now sick with head colds and sore throats. No matter what precautions I try to take, we always get sick after a check-up. My mom had stayed with us for the entire week and as a thank-you we shared our germs with her too. Before she left yesterday, she made a trip to CVS with Tony to stock our house and her car with tissues, cough drops, Sudafed, and new cool mist humidifier. She even found lollipop style cough drops for Cole.

last week

On Tuesday, Cole and I attended storytime at the local library for the first time. Cole has always enjoyed books, and I thought it would give him some practice sitting still with a group of children. He was visibly nervous at first and he sat on my lap in the chair closest to the door. The librarian started with some dopey Raffi song, which did nothing to soothe Cole's jitters. She then invited the kids to sit on the floor close to her, and about half the kids did, but Cole chose to cling to my neck.

One little boy stood out as the troublemaker in the group, and thankfully his mom removed him pretty quickly. He stole the librarian's props and even ripped a horse puppet off her arm and later took away her book. He was a real treat, but at least he left quickly before he inspired others to follow along.

After 2 stories about apples, the librarian set up a simple craft of construction paper trees and pom-pom apples with glue for the kids to decorate. Cole leapt from my lap to take his place on the floor and it was clearly his favorite part of storytime. Once I take a picture of his creation, I'll add it to this post.

As for me, I had a check-up on Thursday, and I'm still at 2 cm, but the Bean has dropped down. I don't look any different though because there just isn't enough space in my torso for it to be noticeable. I'm battling swollen feet again, but I'm otherwise fine. It could be any day now, and since I'm on borrowed time, everything has more urgency. I've been working harder and planning ahead as much as I can.

After my doctor appointment we went to the party store to pick up supplies for Cole's birthday next month. Since his big day is only 2 weeks after my due date, and the nearest party store is an hour away, I'm trying to do what I can now. Cole's chosen a Spongebob theme and he was excited to pick out his invitations, plates and decorations. Today I ordered the rest of the decorations and goodie bag stuffers from Oriental Trading Company. I want his birthday to be an extra big celebration for him since he'll be adjusting to life as a big brother.

On Friday, we had a playdate at the park with a mom Tony had met and her 2 girls. Her oldest is the same age as Cole and they had a blast together. She's a sweet girl and they played pretend games and followed each other all over the playground. Her other daughter is 3 months, and Cole played with her in her stroller too. It was so sweet to watch. He tickled her and played with her toes, and he jiggled her mobile for her to make her smile. I think he's ready for his new role.

Making progress

Quick update: I'm currently at 37 weeks, 2 cm dilated, and 70% effaced. This is new for me because I didn't dilate at all with Cole until I was in active labor. I'm trying not to get too excited because I've heard the stories of women walking around at 3+ for weeks, but it is progress. I finished packing our bags this weekend.

Back in July during a week of 100 degree temperatures, a friend asked if I had reached the uncomfortable stage. I replied that I thought that I had. Now I realize there's a second uncomfortable stage...one where I make other people uncomfortable. 2 weekends ago, we went out for lunch and then to the grocery store. Upon entering the store, a clerk offering soup samples greeted me with "Whoa!", and then ran over to ask me when I was due and what I was having. He was nice about and wished me luck, but it was more attention than I would have liked. People openly stared while we shopped and in case you think I'm paranoid, Tony noticed it too. While looking for a check-out line, a young mom with a 3-6 month old in a car seat carrier, announced loudly, "I didn't stick out that bad when I was pregnant." Yeah, thanks for sharing.

I don't know if people are afraid I'm going to go into labor within seconds or where the fear comes from, but there's no reason for the rudeness.

ta-da!

I had started the duckie blanket on Father's Day weekend and I just finished it a few weeks ago. I feel like I'm a slow knitter, but looking back I can see that I have picked up some speed. I'm probably still on the pokey side, but I've improved a lot.

I first learned to knit when I was pregnant with Cole. My grandmother had found some old needles that belonged to my great aunt, and I knew once the Bean arrived, I would have little time to take lessons. I was right too. I've learned lots of new skills since Cole's arrival, but nothing that is offered in a formal class.

I haven't stopped knitting since, and I've made countless scarves and baby blankets in the last few years. I'm proud of how they have all turned out, and I've even created 1 original pattern. BUT I haven't progressed beyond 1 color or a basic rectangle shape. For Bean 2, I decided to challenge myself and try a pattern that required a couple new skills.

In hindsight, the duckie pattern was a lot more advanced than I had realized. The number of stitches per row was a lot higher than I am used to because the yarn is fine and the needles required are thin. Switching colors was less difficult than I thought, but once I got to the ducks, I was working with over a dozen bobbins of yarn at one time and it was very slow going. The pattern is well planned because the ducks were at the end. If they had been at the beginning, I would have given up!

Overall, I'm really happy with how the blanket turned out, but I don't think it will enjoy everyday use like my other baby blankets....so I'll just have to make one of my standard-issue blankets too.

sweet, but not too sweet

It's 2 weeks later, and I still have one lingering bruise from the 3-hour glucose test. The good news is that I passed the test just fine, and my doctor's office was nice enough to track me down on my cell phone the night before I left town for a long weekend. I was so relieved and grateful to know that I wouldn't have to add more restrictions to my diet and have the added worries of gestational diabetes.

The test was no fun at all. After fasting for 12 hours and no water for 4 hours, my veins ran dry for the fourth and final blood draw. The tech tapped 2 different veins and after a lot of wiggling and poking she came up empty. I swear I heard my vein sputter in exhaustion. I offered the vein in the top of my left hand which has been used before and while it sounds gross, it was completely painless and worked out much better. I wish she would've tried my hand sooner because my right arm was sore and badly bruised after the failed attempts. I'm not a queasy person and after she was done I had to lie down for a few minutes.

I brought my knitting with me. I'm working on my most ambitious knitting project ever for Miss Bean. It's a striped blanket that will have ducks at the top border. It's my first time working with more than one color and the yarn is an unforgiving, mercerized cotton. The yarn arrived in those long twists and when I tried to make a ball from it for the first time, I made an enormous tangle of knots that took a few hours to fix. I felt like I was in over my head before I even picked up my needles! BUT, the blanket is actually coming along very well and my stitches are smooth and even. I've been impressing myself with how good it looks! I'm still working on the stripes (I could finish 1 and a half stripes between blood draws.), but my confidence is growing and I'm getting psyched to tackle the ducks.

I'm just too sweet

I'm at the seven month mark now and in the last trimester...the home stretch. I failed the 1-hour glucose test last week which was a complete surprise since my sugar has been checked 3 times already with no problems at all. I don't have any history of sugar trouble either.

I had seen my primary care doctor a month ago because of dizziness and bloodwork was ordered then. My sugar was fine, but I was mildly anemic for a pregnant woman. There's a different scale for pregnant women according to trimester you are in. For a non-pregnant person my numbers would be much more worrisome. When the nurse called with the results she told me to take an extra iron supplement, but she wasn't sure if that was in addition to taking my prenatal vitamin again. I had stopped the vitamin because it was making me sick. I decided to try to take the vitamin again instead of the mega-iron. I tried taking it at every possible time of day, with and without food and it still made me miserable. I gave up again and decided to increase the iron in my diet through my food choices instead.

The dizziness has improved, but I don't really know why. It was bad for a while because it could come on very suddenly and my hearing would go and then I'd begin to black out. It happened 4 times total, and I hope that it's behind me now.

On Wednesday I'll be at the lab all morning for the 3-hour glucose test which is really 4 hours long. Oh joy! I had been telling Tony I wish I could have an afternoon to myself, but this isn't what I had in mind.

Bean is moving a lot sometimes and then is quiet for hours and hours. I don't remember Cole's movement being as erratic. Yesterday we went to Babies R Us and bought a new mini pack-n-play to use as a bassinet in our room. It's nice because it is portable and folds up. I feel like we're starting to prepare a bit more, and I'm looking forward to putting our trips behind us and focusing on getting ready.