Helena: A First Glimpse

She's Here

Baby Helena made her entrance one hour after I got to the hospital at 10:04 pm weighing in at a whopping 8 lbs. 8 ounces. She's 21 inches long with 34" head and 35" chest. She has a nice head of dark black hair and very long beautiful fingers. She's a goddess, if I do say so myself. As I was positive for group b strep and they only had time for one round of antibiotics, they've taken her to get a full check up. I'll be moving to my actual room fairly soon. Had the little girl with no meds, thank you very much. OK, they're here to move me, so I'll post pictures as soon as I can. Thanks for the prayers everyone! My gorgeous girl is here!!!

Labor

An hour and a half of close contractions that are getting to be whoppers. Will twitter as able. (seen on sidebar of blog)

Prenatal Today

I went in for an ultrasound and biophysical profile at 8:30 with my doula. Helena scored 6 of 8, missing points in the breathing category. She was in a deep sleep and would not move much at all, even when they used the buzz wand to wake her up. That was followed by a beautiful NST (non-stress test) where she was up and doing gymnastics. Little stinker. Lastly, was the appointment with the midwife. I was checked and am still about the same as Monday. She took notice of the 6 out of 8 on the bio and isn't overly concerned, but doesn't want to let this pregnancy go on much longer. I asked for a Tuesday induction. They had every day open except Tuesday, so Monday it is. I'll head in Sunday night (as long as there is a bed) for an application of prostiglandins, which would be great if that alone could kick of this labor, and a plan to stay overnight. If not, the dreaded pitocin would likely start around 6ish am on Monday. I'm thinking it's almost time for a castor oil cocktail as I would really prefer to avoid the 'P' word. Maybe tomorrow. In the meantime, it's Culvers for lunch and then off to bed as contractions have, again, all but stopped.

An Opportunity

OK, a nap certainly helps with the bucking up, especially after a night of insomnia. Amy reminded me of a quote last week that's been ringing in my ears. In March of 2007, we were given Sophie's prenatal diagnosis of DS and duodenal atresia. Mark and I were in full grief mode and decided to head to the theaters to see a comedy, Evan Almighty. There was a line in the film about praying for patience that I was sure was meant for me. I even discussed it with our pastor as patience had been a part of my nightly prayers and frankly, I didn't want an opportunity to be patient or courageous, I just wanted the skill. The way I pray has changed since then, as this lesson affected me that much. I know I've learned quite a bit about patience in the past couple of years, but something tells me I've not yet completed this course as it appears that I've been given yet another opportunity. You'll find the line at about a minute into the clip. Bucking up now.

Advice?

Things NOT to say to a pregnant woman, especially after she's past her due date, even when fully joking, unless you're really in need of a Chuck Norris roundhouse kick:

OMG, you're STILL pregnant?! huh?

Better you than me. why, thanks!

Boy are you gonna have your hands full. thanks for noticing

You really don't look that big. My sister is about as far along as you and she's huge. ok?

You're huge! Thanks. I appreciate it.

You should wait to go into labor til (X date). That's my birthday, day off, etc. uh, no

WHOA! come here and I'll show you whoa

You should really try; (red raspberry leaf tea, Evening Primrose oil capsules, walking - a lot, sex, reflexology/acupressure, pedicure/massage, nipple stim, birthing balls, hands and knees position, drinking castor oil, relaxing, sleeping). trust me, I know

When do you think you'll have the baby? (dirty look)

Quit faking it. You know I love ya, but it's good we're on the phone

And my favorite, It'll be like having 2 babies (referring to Sophie having DS). (silence)

Thankfully I've heard MANY wonderful and supportive things and have appreciated it very much. Mostly I've laughed this stuff off, well maybe the ones said with good intention or clearly as a joke anyway. But, Darc, if she waits until Lane's birthday (and Janet's too) I'm coming for ya. Katie, if she doesn't come till your weekend off, I'm going in the record books and then I'm coming for ya.

So here's the ask, I really don't want to induce or drink castor oil (yet). So if everyone could send a tidal wave of good thoughts, prayers, vibes, etc. and concentrate specifically on today, maybe we can kick this party into gear. How bout it? I'm off to take a nap.

Week 41

Day 1 of Week 41

My due date has come and gone, and already Helena is showing us who's boss. At my prenatal today I saw the only midwife of the 6 that make up the team that I haven't previously seen. She's not big into numbers. I am. All I could get out of her was that I'm pretty much the same as last week and probably won't change until I go into labor. We had the 'what's involved to induce labor' talk. As of now, I'm still not interested. I go back this week on Friday for a non-stress test and sono to measure amniotic fluid levels. She guesses the levels are good. This would be my first NST for this pregnancy as well as a sono just for a fluid check. With Sophie, I had twice weekly NSTs and once weekly sonos for fluid in the last couple months. Its not a nice feeling to be back in this place, even though circumstances are different.

My horoscope for today is as follows: You might be feeling very confident today about what you intend to do, only to be thwarted by circumstances beyond your control. You have already made commitments that you cannot break, giving you precious little time to accomplish your goals. Your optimism wanes and you could become discouraged as you compare your plans to your calendar. But this is no time to play the role of a victim. Do as much as you can and save the rest for tomorrow.

Tomorrow my favorite midwife is on call. Tomorrow would be a very good day indeed. So now I am working on putting my very big girl pants on and bucking up.

Belly Shot Week 41

WARNING

Bare belly shots below complete with unedited stretch marks and gall bladder surgery scars. Can't handle it? X out now.

I finished my belly cast in the van Gogh Starry Night theme. Not to shabby for someone who's never painted anything before. As always, click any picture to enlarge.

Week 41 Belly shot

Week 40

Week 40, Day 1
-Helena is due upon the completion of this week on Mother's Day, May 10th

Mothers. Mother's Day. Child birth. Labor. Nesting. Battling fear and anxiety demons. Looking for and finding creative outlets. Trying desperately to keep my head right and the kids' schedules as close to normal as possible. Waiting. Limbo.

Blessings. Little blessings and overwhelmingly gargantuan ones like my mother in law, who has been more of a mother to me for years. A mother who interrupts her life altering plans, like moving and packing for an out of country trip to come help us. To come scrub our toilet, change dirty diapers, clean the house, feed us body and soul.

Walks alone or with Mark to our beautiful neighborhood park at twilight. My favorite time that is not quite day, not quite night. Where shadows and the lighting make everything seem more magical and mysterious. Letting go and swinging on the swings. Taking it all in and quieting my mind.

Thoughts of my grandma who passed away on May 5, 2006. Knowing that if my baby is born tomorrow, I won't think it morbid, but a celebration and honor of her life. I miss her. (previous post)

Friends who step up and offer to be called in the middle of the day or night. People I've met in real life and those who I've not met in person who have sent good vibes, thoughts, and prayers. New friends who enrich my life and are helping me to grow.

My doula who is priceless. Long gone are the days of child birth in a red tent on bricks surrounded by the strength and knowledge of women's hands. There is something quite powerful, earthy, primitive, and timeless about doulas and midwives. With Trish, I know peace and regain my trust.

I'm progressing and am now at -1 with Helena's head fully engaged during my prenatal today. 75% effaced or, as my midwife put it, complete mush. Dilated to 2cm. Could still be a while, or not. Specific thoughts to send my way this week are: No stalling of labor once it begins, a quick labor (but not so quick that we don't make it to the hospital - again), get through the afternoon tomorrow (Tues, May 5th) so that Mark can finish his classes and I can treat myself to a pedicure, peace and a calm mind.

Belly Shot Week 40

WARNING

Bare belly shots below complete with unedited stretch marks and gall bladder surgery scars. Can't handle it? X out now.

I've been inspired to paint the belly cast in a Van Gogh, Starry Night theme. I've just started, but here's what I've got so far. It's been a very relaxing and creative outlet.

Birth, Interrupted

46 recorded contractions beginning at midnight. This doesn't count the first hour and 20 minutes when I wasn't writing them down, nor does it include the last hour or so when they were stalling out. These were not the 'Braxton Hicks somewhat painful, but not real labor' type pains. There were definitive starts, peaks and ends. They wrapped around my back. I had to bring out my deep breathing techniques and rock on my birth ball. Counter pressure on my low back was needed. They got really quite intense. No, not like Braxton Hicks at all.

Mark showered to get ready to make a trip into the hospital. Contractions had been 4 minutes apart for a while. I showered too as we figured it would either stall it out if it wasn't going to proceed, or perhaps get it moving. It stalled out. After a few more that were no big deal, we decided I'd take a Benadryl to help me sleep. That was around 6:30. Thankfully I did get some much needed sleep.

Now that I'm up, I am weary. My state of mind, not the best. With Alexander's birth, once it started, it never stopped until he was born nearly 30 hours later. With Sophie, this start and stall business happened for a full week. We were sent home twice when it stalled out in the hospital. I had figured it had something to do with having low amniotic fluid (despite her duodenal atresia) or even her DS. Now it appears that this just may be the way I'm going to do this and it sucks.

This could very well drag on for some time. It could happen again tonight or later today or next week. I've got no crystal ball, but I do have a doula, which I suppose is the next best thing. Though I'd really like to deliver this baby, I won't be induced unless I'm really over due. We've done most of the home remedies, except drinking castor oil. So far the only thing going on right now is that Helena appears to have the hiccups and I can't keep my lunch down.

If I saw Mother Nature on the street right now, things would get ugly and fast.

Mark snapped this shot last night before this all began. Good vibes, thoughts and prayers are much appreciated.

Wanted: Weekend Baby & Trillium Event Reminder

Seeking: Good vibes for a weekend delivery. It doesn't have to be just wishful thinking!

Mark's mom is up for the weekend, so for that and a few other reasons, it would be just swell if Helena put in her appearance this weekend. I'd like to first attend the Trillium fundraiser for Larkin's Place at the Y on Friday May 1st, which is from 3:30 - 6. I figure, if we can get enough people thinking about this, and thinking 6 o'clock on Friday specifically, just maybe it could happen. If you're local, make sure to stop on by Bella Mia Boutique, Shoppes of Knollwood for the fundraiser. If you're not local, visit the links below for more information.

Address: 227 South Neil Street Champaign Illinois
217.352.2222 http://www.bellamiaboutique.com
http://www.thetrilliumproject.org

RSVP here

Previous post about the fundraiser here Amy's post here

Image below of the cut tiles that will be available as Trillium necklaces, starting tomorrow. They turned out so beautifully.

Weeks 37-39

Day 1 of week 39. We are officially full term Baby and have made it longer than with Sophie! (full term is 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after the due date) I had a prenatal appointment this morning and my doula came too. Things are moving along with another 2.2 lb gain in 10 days (despite curbing my sweets intake). Dilated to 1 cm, 50% effaced, and still at stage minus 2.

Things that help me during pregnancy:

• red raspberry leaf tea (twice daily, infusion method) with honey
• Medela Maternity Support belt (to help hold up the baby and ease back pain, Braxton Hicks contractions, and lesson trips to bathroom)
• Knee pillow to ease hip and back aches
• Prilosec when Tums and Pepsid no longer cut it
• Occasional Tylenol PM when insomnia kicks in (and don't think you can get away with half decaf coffee in the AM)
• Water aerobics with other pregnant women for: camaraderie, escaping the house, relief of extra weight for 1 very short hour, great exercise, pull excess water from where it should not be, ease aches and pains, especially back pain
• Medicine/exercise ball (the big kind) for sitting on or even exercising, is comfortable and creates good positioning of pelvis, and is helpful during labor (from previous experience)
• Neti pot for allergy or cold sufferers who cannot take meds during pregnancy
• One banana a day for potassium and reduction of leg cramps

We did a plaster of paris belly and breast cast on Saturday night as we have done for all 3 kids now. It's really a cool experience and bonding time for me and the hubs. You can buy kits (usually $25-$40) or just go to Hobby Lobby and get the plaster of paris strips for $9 and a small tub of Vaseline for under $3. Google decoration ideas and 'how-to' videos.

I've nearly done all of my self assigned chores to prepare for Helena including making a picture book of the hospital for Alexander and Sophie. The rest that are left to do are really not a big deal if they don't get done. I'd really like to make it to the Trillium event on Friday, May 1st, but the only other date on my mind is Mark's last day of teaching on May 5th. I've already got a pedicure scheduled that day just in case I'm still pregnant and need a little help getting started. Can you tell I'm hoping NOT to go all the way to the due date of May 10th (or gasp - later!)?

So I think it's time to set up a pool. If you care to wager a guess, leave a comment on her birth date, time, weight, height, length, or whatever you feel like. As a reminder, Alexander was born at 39 weeks plus a few days at 9 lbs. Sophie was born at 37 weeks 4 days at 6 lbs. 10/12 oz (never could get a straight answer as she was born in the ambulance).

And now for the belly shots. all pics can be enlarged by clicking on them

Week 37

Week 38

Week 39

WARNING

Bare belly shots below complete with unedited stretch marks and gall bladder surgery scars. Can't handle it? X out now.

Week 37

Week 38

Week 39

Blogiversary

Today I celebrate the one year anniversary of this blog. I've learned a few things in the last year:

• I've surprised myself in how many technical tricks I've picked up along the way. Certainly not enough to be an IT person, but enough to be happy about.
• I've been surprised at who has become a loyal reader of this little family blog.
• I've learned so much and my world has been opened by the blogging community. Many of you out there are friends, though we've never spoken in person or even on the phone. You have inspired, educated and supported me in ways I am so grateful for. I promise to post about the blog awards that I have been given as I have not forgotten about them.
• Blogging has been so much fun and has been a creative outlet that I really need. Somewhere along the way as I grew up, had a career that I loved, left it to stay at home, added the titles; wife, mother, mother to a child with special needs, I've felt that I lost who I am outside of those roles. This blog has helped me rediscover many things about myself.

I think too that it's fitting that my first ever post was about Sophie's birth. As I type this, those darn Braxton Hicks contractions have increased in length and severity. I really hope to make it to May to go into labor, as it would be best for Helena, but I'm getting more and more signs that she may make an early appearance, at least earlier than her due date of Mother's Day. Then again, she could surprise me and hang on for a few more weeks. So, as her birth could happen anytime in the next couple/few weeks, I'm adding Twitter to the sidebar, just to be prepared.

Anywhozill, thanks to all of you who stop by and comment regularly. I really appreciate it and look forward to the next year in blogland.

Weeks 34-36

What can I say? Its been a very busy past couple of weeks. (click the pics to enlarge) So, to catch up, weeks 34-36:

Belly Shot, Week 34

Belly Shot, Week 35

Belly Shot, Week 36

Alexander gave me a very endearing lesson on child birth. He knows the baby is a girl and he's informed me that after Helena is born, we're having another baby boy.

ALEXANDER: Come help me Mom.

ME: Just a minute. I have to sit down. This baby is moving around a lot. You know we're going to have another baby at home soon?

ALEXANDER: Yes, you'll go to the hospital. The baby girl will jump out of your mouth. Then a baby boy will jump in your mouth and go all the way down (to your belly).

ME: Is that what will happen?

ALEXANDER: Yep.

We had our 2nd Level II ultrasound and everything looks great with no need for any more USs. She's weighing exactly what she should if not a little more. At this rate, she'll weigh between 7.5-8.2 lbs full term. That would put her nicely between her brother of 9lbs. and sister at 6 lbs 12 oz. The doc said she has just a small amount of hair, so we'll see. We weren't able to get a good profile picture as she was hiding her face, so here's one of the little feet that kick me all day and night long.

Braxton Hicks contractions continue to strike every day, some pretty intensely. It's harder to breathe and I'm tiring quickly these days. I'm nesting big time, including scrubbing walls. I also started a prenatal water aerobics class. I did prenatal yoga with Alexander and water aerobics with Sophie. There's just something quite healing about water pressure, but both classes are great. I'm pretty much ready to have Helena, though there are 3 weeks left until I'm full term (and could go as long as 7). On the other hand, I find myself cuddling more with the kids, knowing that our lives will once again change very soon. I can't wait to see Sophie in the role as big sister.

WARNING:

Bare belly shots below complete with unedited stretch marks and gall bladder surgery scars. Can't handle it? X out now.

Week 34

Week 35

Week 36

Weeks 31 & 32

Today is day 1 of week 32. That's 7 months down and 2 to go! I had zero time to post about this last week, so today it's a 2fer.

Last Week (31), Belly Shot

Last week was a busy week. Over lunch, Mark casually asked, "What do you think Helena's eyes will look like?" I said that they would probably look just like her big brother and sister's eyes. After all Alexander's eyes just turned from blue to green in the past few months. (pause) "Wait. Did you say Helena?" So there you have it folks. We can retire Maybe the May baby and give her an honest to goodness name (I've been calling her that in my head for a while now). Helena is pronounced Hel-LAY-nuh, not Helen-uh. We are not certain of the spelling and have no clue about her middle name. As always, we reserve the right to pick a completely different name at any point.

At 31 weeks Helena may track moving objects with her eyes. When she blinks, the eye's iris responds to light and dark. Her lungs and digestive track are nearly mature, although the last few weeks in-utero are still important for lung development. She was around 14-1/2 inches head-to-toe, and weighed nearly three pounds, five ounces.

In summary, over the last 2 weeks I've busted a tooth (not by opening a beer bottle, but on a piece of hard rice, had a prenatal where I weighed in at 1.8 lbs. more than last month thanks to delicious Butterfinger ice cream - yumm, (I think I gained it all in my face) got a new hair cut, had an allergic reaction to Thai food, hired a doula (more on that later), and named the baby.

Belly Shot, Week 32

This week, (32) Helena is now 38 centimeters crown-to-rump, or 15-1/4 inches long, and weighs three pounds, twelve ounces. She can move her head to the side, but now that she is taking up much of the available space, her movement will slowly decrease.

WARNING:

Bare belly shots below complete with unedited stretch marks and gall bladder surgery scars. Can't handle it? X out now.

Week 31

Week 32

Week 30

The count down begins!

Belly Shot, Week 30

Today is day 1 of week 30. This pregnancy has been a peach with limited nausea at the beginning and typical back pain and heart burn. For this baby I'm seeing a team of 6 midwives. So far I've met 3 of them and you get whom ever is on call when you go into labor. Weight gain hasn't been bad either with grand total of 8.4 lbs. gained so far. I think it has mostly gone to my back side. I permanently have a bucket of ice cream and cookies attached to my mouth lately and my face is taking on a moon pie fullness.

The tests we've done are to check for anemia (negative) strep B (positive for each pregnancy), and blood glucose for gestational diabetes (negative). I've had an early US for dating purposes and a level II US with a perinatologist at the mid point. We have another scheduled for March. Other than that, I'm in and out of my prenatals fairly quickly. It's a blessing, to be sure, but quite different than my last experience and has taken some getting used to. At the end with Sophie, I was getting twice weekly Non Stress Tests (NSTs) and weekly USs.

Having back pain prior to pregnancy has limited what I can do now. Laying flat isn't possible, sitting on the floor to play and do therapy (ouch!) and apparently certain cleaning activities are a no no. I scrubbed the bathroom floor on Friday and ended up with Braxton Hicks contractions that wrapped around to my back for an hour that were strong enough to draw tears. The fix was a couple of cookies and water, lay on my left side, have Mark apply counter pressure (and encourage him to stop freaking out), plus Tylenol and a heating pad on my back. Guess I'm off floor cleaning duty for a while.

I truly love being pregnant, but month 7 is my favorite. Maybe is a nice basketball size and she makes big enough movements that others can see my clothes dance from across the room. She wallops a punch but is still small enough to move around quite a bit. Months 8 and 9 usually have less movement as they rapidly gain weight and have less room to do gymnastics. She's 2-3 lbs. depending on which source you use, and her eyes may be open.

WARNING:

Bare belly photo, complete with unbrushed out stretch marks and gall bladder surgery scars below. Can't handle it? X out now.

Belly Shot, Week 30

What's in a name?

Mark says that it is my job to think up names for Maybe the May Baby, and his job to veto them. So far he's done a pretty good job shooting my suggestions down. For the name to fit in with Alexander and Sophia, it must be a strong, old/ancient (perhaps even Biblical) name. I don't have a preference for length or letters that it must start with. To have a good name meaning or famous people in history is a plus, but not a deal breaker.

My favorite two are Elizabeth and Katherine. Just think of the gazillion nicknames that she can choose from if she so desires? However, these are the names of my 2 younger sisters. So, according to Mark, they are currently used names and are out.

The name we agree on the most is Heleana or Helena (Hel-A-nuh, not Helen-uh). Think of the beauty of Helen of Troy, or Saint Helena, the mother to Emperor Constantine the Great (first Christian Roman Emperor) who is credited with finding the relics of the true cross. Nicknames could be Lanie or Lana (L-A-nuh) but not necessarily Helen (after all Alexander is Alexander, not Alex). It means sun ray or shining light. To say the name you have to exhale the Hel part (breathy) and the rest is melodic and pretty.

I also like Magdalene but Mark prefers the version Madeline, which is pretty good too. Maddy, Maggie, whichever would be fine. Sarah (previously Sarai before she and Abram had name changes in the Old Testament) is also good, but is already a cousin's name. Kennedy is good too, but is not really ancient enough. Still, they're on the list.

So, do you have a suggestion for a name that might work for this little girl? Maybe just isn't cutting it anymore. I've looked through baby name books and searched on line until I can't see. Leave a comment but please refrain from telling me why you DON'T like the names on our list.

Oh and Mark's only contributions so far have been Nicole, Amabo, and Seven. Help!

Croup Be - GONE!

I'll take a kick to the head over croup any day. So, I did. Last night Soph slept (SLEPT!) all night with minimal coughing next to me and laying down!!! Most of the time she had her little feet in my chest or even in my face, but I didn't mind. I did have a strange dream though. I have always been a vivid dreamer and can remember at least one usually per night. Pregnancy has added a level of bizarre to them. I was at my parent's houe and the family was all there having a pool party in summer. (It was not their house in real life). We watched in horror when an air raid began as war on American soil, in a big way, took us all by suprise. Stress much?

My conversation with Sophie's ped this morning went well. As Soph is not barking so much today as she is coughing up wet ickiness, we decided to stop the steroid after today and not continue for the full 5 days of meds, totalling 3.5 days of Prednisalone. It's not like needing to finish antibiotics for effectiveness and I don't want her taking any more than she needs.

As for the nebulizer, let's just say I didn't have to bring out mama bear to get Doc to see things my way. He's on board for next time with the steroid (Pulmicort) through a nebulizer and saline/distilled water with the neb only as a secondary comfort measure (as in during an attack at night versus going to the ER). Since she is on the mend and already has an appointment with Dr. D (ped lung specialist) next week, we'll either get the new script from him, or the ped agreed to write it.

Thanks to all who have supplied articles, support, and strength. Momologists Unite! On another note, Maybe seems to love my morning glass of orange juice and is moving like crazy!

We'll Take a Cup of Kindness Yet

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,and never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot and days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear, For auld lang syne,

We'll take a cup o' kindness yet For auld lang syne

Here's a blast from the past. Mark and I weren't even engaged yet. Here we are with his brother and his wife along with our good friend and our future son's namesake.

Skip ahead a mere 6 years. Here we are at our house in Madison with our little guy, just 2 weeks shy of his 1st birthday. We all had the flu that day.

In Madison, 2006


Last year we rang in the new year at Mark's parent's place on top of Mt. Zubba Bubba in TN. Sophie had joined the family but slept through the festivities.

New Year's Eve 2008. We made our own party at home last night complete with games, silly hats, noise makers, glow bracelets, snacks, and New Year's Rockin Eve. Can't wait till next year when Maybe joins us. This morning I looked at the calendar and realized that she's due on Mother's Day. And just maybe next year, I'll enjoy some of my favorite Andre's pink champagne instead of Diet 7 Up with Pomegranate (though that's pretty good too).

My how things have changed...

Happy New Year!