The Cherry Cricket
Friday, October 5, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
Welcome to the World, Casen Kai Robbins
I know it's been a week since he was born but as anyone who's been a parent before can attest, we've been pretty busy (and tired!). I expected this to happen and knew that's I'd probably be late doing this post, so that is why I took good notes at the hospital so I'd be sure to remember it all. Here is my account of the hospital stay and delivery process.
April 8th, 2012
4:30pm - We left the house for the hospital. We took like three bags of clothes and necessities which baffled me since we were only going to be gone for like 2 days and we were close enough to our home that we could go home if we needed anything else. The drive to the hospital was mostly silent since I think we were both nervous about what was about to transpire.
5:00pm - Admitted to the hospital and got our room. Jun changed into the extremely glamorous hospital gown with strict instructions not to tie the bottom tie on the back, only the one around her neck. When she got all situated and in bed, the nurse cam in and hooked her up to the fetal monitors, checked her cervix (2cm dilated, 50% effaced) and started her on her paperwork.
5:45pm - My parents arrived to the hospital and check in on us. The nurse put the IV stub (don't know what it's actually called) into Jun's hand and drew some of her blood.
6:30pm - Cirvodil is administered by the nurse and Jun is ordered to 1 hour of bedrest.
7:00pm - My parents left to go home (our house).
7:15pm - Jun's parents left.
7:30pm - Found the Rangers/White Sox game on TV. Huzzah! At this point, Jun is still feeling pretty good. She's having some minor cramping but nothing she can't handle. We're just enjoying watching the game and spending some time together at this point. The doctor comes and checks on us every hour or so.
9:15pm - My mom comes back up to the hospital and brings me some dinner. Jun's "cramps" are about 4-5 minutes apart.
10:35pm - Our nurse comes in to give Jun a 10mg Ambian to help her get some sleep.
10:45pm - Try to get some sleep. I start out on the couch/torture rack that is in the room. It's supposed to pull out into a bed, but some of the cushions are missing and there is a support bar right in the middle of the couch that stick into your spine. The hospital does not even offer blankets and pillow to me and I had to ask for a pillow. Good thing we brought extra blankets.
11:30pm - Jun needs to pee, I get up to help her since she's hooked into all sorts of monitors.
April 9th, 2012
12:00am - The nurse comes in to check on the monitors, I wake up.
12:30am - Jun needs to pee, I get up again, but I decided to get off the torture rack and sleep on the floor.
2:00am - Nurse comes in to check on Jun. I wake up.
2:30am - Jun needs to pee, I get up.
4:30am - Jun needs to pee, I get up.
6:30am - Jun needs to pee, I get up, but we stay awake at this point.
7:00am - The nurse shifts have changed over, and we get a new nurse, Marianne. She also comes equipped with an intern, Spencer who appears to be a nursing student from TCU. Jun gets to take a shower at this time and afterwords she feels MUCH better.
7:15am - Cervix check. 2cm dialated, 70% effaced. I begin to question the necessity of the Cervodil since it only seemed to give her about 20% more effacement.
7:30am - Pitocin is started at the lowest setting.
7:50am - I took the opportunity to grab a shower and change my clothes.
8:05am - Pitocin dosage upped.
8:10am - Dr. Kolar (Jun's OB) broke Jun's water. Jun described it as being "Very hot, like a hot bath" Dr. Kolar said the fluid was good and clear. I was standing as far away as possible, so I didn't see it.
8:50am - The nurse came back in and the topic of epidurals was brought up. Jun's contractions are getting more intense and are about 2 minutes apart. She's very uncomfortable and NOT in a good mood.
9:30am - Dr. Leitch is the anesthesiologist who is brought into give the epidural. Everyone except me and the nurse are ushered out of the room. It makes me nervous when he takes a phone call WHILE the 6 inch needle is sticking out of my wife's spine, but he gets it done successfully and in a few minutes Jun feels MUCH better.
10:00am - The nurse intern (Spencer) puts in a catheter and our parents are allowed back in.
10:40am - Pitocin is upped.
11:10am - Pitocin upped again.
11:30am - The nurse takes Jun's temperature and it appears to be normal.
11:30am to 12:30pm - My parents take me to lunch at Schlotzky's. It's delicious.
12:30pm - Cervix check: 4cm, 100% effaced. Getting closer.
1:00pm - Pitocin is upped again.
1:40pm - Another increase in Pitocin. Cervix exam shows she is dilated to 7.5cm, 100% effaced. Bloodly show and progressing nicely. It's at this point that the nurse says that at the last cervix exam they thought it would be necessary for a c-section since it is a big baby and she was only dilated to a 4. Now that she's progressed a lot, a normal birth is expected.
2:00pm - Upped Pitocin again. They are having trouble getting her contractions normalized.
2:45pm - Upped Pitocin again. Getting ridiculous.
3:25pm - Cervix check: 8cm, Station 0 to -1.
3:50pm - Dr. Kolar checks Jun and disagrees and says she is dilated to a 7, but the baby moved down. She broke more of Jun's water that she apparently didn't get earlier.
4:50pm - Cervix check. The nurse says the baby has "done a lot of work," and we would be pushing soon. Jun is starting to experience pain with each contraction and addition pain medication is added.
5:25pm - Drinking too much water caused Jun to throw up. Good think I was quick with a barf bag. Only ice chips from now on.
6:05pm - Cervix check, baby has descended and we should be about ready to push.
6:24pm - After only 10 pushes during 3 contractions, Casen Kai Robbins is born into this world at 8lbs, 0oz and is 22.5" long. I'll save you all the "messy" details, but everything went very normally and the delivery is a complete success.
I pretty much quit taking notes at this point since I had the more important job of being a dad to attend to, but there was a lot of picture taking, holding of the baby, grandparent fawning, crying and feeding. After all that was over, we were moved to a postpartum room.
That's the story! I'll get back on later and add some pictures.
April 8th, 2012
4:30pm - We left the house for the hospital. We took like three bags of clothes and necessities which baffled me since we were only going to be gone for like 2 days and we were close enough to our home that we could go home if we needed anything else. The drive to the hospital was mostly silent since I think we were both nervous about what was about to transpire.
5:00pm - Admitted to the hospital and got our room. Jun changed into the extremely glamorous hospital gown with strict instructions not to tie the bottom tie on the back, only the one around her neck. When she got all situated and in bed, the nurse cam in and hooked her up to the fetal monitors, checked her cervix (2cm dilated, 50% effaced) and started her on her paperwork.
5:45pm - My parents arrived to the hospital and check in on us. The nurse put the IV stub (don't know what it's actually called) into Jun's hand and drew some of her blood.
6:30pm - Cirvodil is administered by the nurse and Jun is ordered to 1 hour of bedrest.
7:00pm - My parents left to go home (our house).
7:15pm - Jun's parents left.
7:30pm - Found the Rangers/White Sox game on TV. Huzzah! At this point, Jun is still feeling pretty good. She's having some minor cramping but nothing she can't handle. We're just enjoying watching the game and spending some time together at this point. The doctor comes and checks on us every hour or so.
9:15pm - My mom comes back up to the hospital and brings me some dinner. Jun's "cramps" are about 4-5 minutes apart.
10:35pm - Our nurse comes in to give Jun a 10mg Ambian to help her get some sleep.
10:45pm - Try to get some sleep. I start out on the couch/torture rack that is in the room. It's supposed to pull out into a bed, but some of the cushions are missing and there is a support bar right in the middle of the couch that stick into your spine. The hospital does not even offer blankets and pillow to me and I had to ask for a pillow. Good thing we brought extra blankets.
11:30pm - Jun needs to pee, I get up to help her since she's hooked into all sorts of monitors.
April 9th, 2012
12:00am - The nurse comes in to check on the monitors, I wake up.
12:30am - Jun needs to pee, I get up again, but I decided to get off the torture rack and sleep on the floor.
2:00am - Nurse comes in to check on Jun. I wake up.
2:30am - Jun needs to pee, I get up.
4:30am - Jun needs to pee, I get up.
6:30am - Jun needs to pee, I get up, but we stay awake at this point.
7:00am - The nurse shifts have changed over, and we get a new nurse, Marianne. She also comes equipped with an intern, Spencer who appears to be a nursing student from TCU. Jun gets to take a shower at this time and afterwords she feels MUCH better.
7:15am - Cervix check. 2cm dialated, 70% effaced. I begin to question the necessity of the Cervodil since it only seemed to give her about 20% more effacement.
7:30am - Pitocin is started at the lowest setting.
7:50am - I took the opportunity to grab a shower and change my clothes.
8:05am - Pitocin dosage upped.
8:10am - Dr. Kolar (Jun's OB) broke Jun's water. Jun described it as being "Very hot, like a hot bath" Dr. Kolar said the fluid was good and clear. I was standing as far away as possible, so I didn't see it.
8:50am - The nurse came back in and the topic of epidurals was brought up. Jun's contractions are getting more intense and are about 2 minutes apart. She's very uncomfortable and NOT in a good mood.
9:30am - Dr. Leitch is the anesthesiologist who is brought into give the epidural. Everyone except me and the nurse are ushered out of the room. It makes me nervous when he takes a phone call WHILE the 6 inch needle is sticking out of my wife's spine, but he gets it done successfully and in a few minutes Jun feels MUCH better.
10:00am - The nurse intern (Spencer) puts in a catheter and our parents are allowed back in.
10:40am - Pitocin is upped.
11:10am - Pitocin upped again.
11:30am - The nurse takes Jun's temperature and it appears to be normal.
11:30am to 12:30pm - My parents take me to lunch at Schlotzky's. It's delicious.
12:30pm - Cervix check: 4cm, 100% effaced. Getting closer.
1:00pm - Pitocin is upped again.
1:40pm - Another increase in Pitocin. Cervix exam shows she is dilated to 7.5cm, 100% effaced. Bloodly show and progressing nicely. It's at this point that the nurse says that at the last cervix exam they thought it would be necessary for a c-section since it is a big baby and she was only dilated to a 4. Now that she's progressed a lot, a normal birth is expected.
2:00pm - Upped Pitocin again. They are having trouble getting her contractions normalized.
2:45pm - Upped Pitocin again. Getting ridiculous.
3:25pm - Cervix check: 8cm, Station 0 to -1.
3:50pm - Dr. Kolar checks Jun and disagrees and says she is dilated to a 7, but the baby moved down. She broke more of Jun's water that she apparently didn't get earlier.
4:50pm - Cervix check. The nurse says the baby has "done a lot of work," and we would be pushing soon. Jun is starting to experience pain with each contraction and addition pain medication is added.
5:25pm - Drinking too much water caused Jun to throw up. Good think I was quick with a barf bag. Only ice chips from now on.
6:05pm - Cervix check, baby has descended and we should be about ready to push.
6:24pm - After only 10 pushes during 3 contractions, Casen Kai Robbins is born into this world at 8lbs, 0oz and is 22.5" long. I'll save you all the "messy" details, but everything went very normally and the delivery is a complete success.
I pretty much quit taking notes at this point since I had the more important job of being a dad to attend to, but there was a lot of picture taking, holding of the baby, grandparent fawning, crying and feeding. After all that was over, we were moved to a postpartum room.
That's the story! I'll get back on later and add some pictures.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Exactly 40 Weeks! We're Headed To...
...work.
So, unless the baby decides to come later on today (It's 12:30pm right now), he's going to be late. Oh well, we've been told over and over again that first babies tend to come later than their due date... which makes me wonder why they don't just make the due date for first time moms a few days after a normal calculated due date.
Jun had her final "check-up" appointment with her doctor on Monday and according to the doctor everything is progressing just as it should. She was still only a little more than 1cm dilated, but she is right where she needs to be. For the last week or so before the appointment, I heard a lot of "I'm ready to have this baby!" talk from Jun and she expressed this feeling to the doctor as well, so the doctor and nurses tried to find ways to give Jun and excuse to get induced early. The nurse who took Jun's blood pressure tried to convince the doctor that it was "very high" even though it was only slightly elevated, but that didn't work. The doctor then told Jun to go down the hall and get an ultrasound on the off-chance that her fluid was low, which would require an early induction.... nope! Fluid levels were normal. No luck.
Oh well, we will just have the baby when he's ready or on our originally scheduled induction date of April 9th... but wait.
As we were walking out the door of the doctor's office, the nurse at the reception desk yelled at Jun, "Hey! You wanna have this baby tonight?!"
What?
Jun and I just stood there in shock and stared at this lady, not knowing what to say. She repeated what she had just said then added that some lady who was scheduled to be inducted that night had gone into labor on her own earlier that day and so now there was an opening in the doctor's schedule for an induction.
We really didn't know what to say, they kind of dropped a bombshell on us. I knew better than to answer that question myself so I turned to Jun and said, "What do you think? You wanna do it?"
The other nurses that were in the reception area were all telling us that we should definitely do it, and that we probably wouldn't get another opportunity to be induced early. However, Jun decided that she still wanted to give the baby a chance to get to his due date, so we declined the offer.
It's weird to think that I could have already been a dad by now, but I'm willing to wait a few more day if I have to.
Also, I'm kind of glad that we didn't have the baby that night and be worried about trying to get the baby home yesterday with all the bad weather. I've heard the first drive home is already stressful enough...
Here's a picture of Jun today at 40 weeks. This will probably be the last "baby bump" picture. Doesn't she look like she's about to pop?
Edit: Sorry for the fuzzy picture. iPhones weren't meant to capture precious memories.
So, unless the baby decides to come later on today (It's 12:30pm right now), he's going to be late. Oh well, we've been told over and over again that first babies tend to come later than their due date... which makes me wonder why they don't just make the due date for first time moms a few days after a normal calculated due date.
Jun had her final "check-up" appointment with her doctor on Monday and according to the doctor everything is progressing just as it should. She was still only a little more than 1cm dilated, but she is right where she needs to be. For the last week or so before the appointment, I heard a lot of "I'm ready to have this baby!" talk from Jun and she expressed this feeling to the doctor as well, so the doctor and nurses tried to find ways to give Jun and excuse to get induced early. The nurse who took Jun's blood pressure tried to convince the doctor that it was "very high" even though it was only slightly elevated, but that didn't work. The doctor then told Jun to go down the hall and get an ultrasound on the off-chance that her fluid was low, which would require an early induction.... nope! Fluid levels were normal. No luck.
Oh well, we will just have the baby when he's ready or on our originally scheduled induction date of April 9th... but wait.
As we were walking out the door of the doctor's office, the nurse at the reception desk yelled at Jun, "Hey! You wanna have this baby tonight?!"
What?
Jun and I just stood there in shock and stared at this lady, not knowing what to say. She repeated what she had just said then added that some lady who was scheduled to be inducted that night had gone into labor on her own earlier that day and so now there was an opening in the doctor's schedule for an induction.
We really didn't know what to say, they kind of dropped a bombshell on us. I knew better than to answer that question myself so I turned to Jun and said, "What do you think? You wanna do it?"
The other nurses that were in the reception area were all telling us that we should definitely do it, and that we probably wouldn't get another opportunity to be induced early. However, Jun decided that she still wanted to give the baby a chance to get to his due date, so we declined the offer.
It's weird to think that I could have already been a dad by now, but I'm willing to wait a few more day if I have to.
Also, I'm kind of glad that we didn't have the baby that night and be worried about trying to get the baby home yesterday with all the bad weather. I've heard the first drive home is already stressful enough...
Here's a picture of Jun today at 40 weeks. This will probably be the last "baby bump" picture. Doesn't she look like she's about to pop?
Edit: Sorry for the fuzzy picture. iPhones weren't meant to capture precious memories.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
T-Minus One Week; All Systems Go
Yesterday marked 39 weeks of pregnancy for Jun. Everything seems to be moving along right on schedule. She had another doctor's appointment on Monday where we found out she was about 1cm dilated and around 50% effaced. That doesn't mean she's going into labor, but it means that her body is starting to prepare for it. Jun's OB/GYN seems to think that the baby will be late (apparently it's common for first time mom's to be late), but still left open the possibility of the baby coming early.
There is an end in sight, however. If the baby does not come before his due date (April 4th), she is scheduled to be admitted to the hospital on April 8th, and induced early on April 9th. So, at THE MOST, there's only a week-and-a-half left before the baby gets here.
Jun is still going to work everyday like a trooper, for which I'm proud of her. She's off work tomorrow (scheduled day off), and if the baby doesn't decide to come on time, she's only got 5 more day of work remaining. I know she's excited about that.
Thank you (again) to all of our friends who have given us gifts and helped us get prepared for the baby, and thank you to those from whom we're STILL getting gifts. It's really very generous of you and we really appreciate it.
I don't have a 39-week belly bump picture yet, but I'll try to get one and add it to this post later on.
There is an end in sight, however. If the baby does not come before his due date (April 4th), she is scheduled to be admitted to the hospital on April 8th, and induced early on April 9th. So, at THE MOST, there's only a week-and-a-half left before the baby gets here.
Jun is still going to work everyday like a trooper, for which I'm proud of her. She's off work tomorrow (scheduled day off), and if the baby doesn't decide to come on time, she's only got 5 more day of work remaining. I know she's excited about that.
Thank you (again) to all of our friends who have given us gifts and helped us get prepared for the baby, and thank you to those from whom we're STILL getting gifts. It's really very generous of you and we really appreciate it.
I don't have a 39-week belly bump picture yet, but I'll try to get one and add it to this post later on.
Monday, March 12, 2012
36 Week Doctor's Appointmet
March 8th was a big doctor's appointment for Jun and the baby. It marked 36 weeks and we finally got to have another ultrasound, which we hadn't had since sometime around week 25. It's been a long time since we've gotten to drop in and check on our little boy.
According to the ultrasound tech, little Puff is still doing very good and everything is right on track. It also turns out that he's done a good bit of growing as well, since the ultrasound lady estimated his weight at 6 lbs, 13 ounces already. Wow! That's a big as some babies are when they are born! The doctor said that babies tend to grow about a half pound a week in the last month. If that holds true, we are are looking at having a big baby. I suppose the baby could come a little bit early, but the doctor did a cervix check on Jun (which she didn't enjoy very much...) who confirmed that the baby wasn't ready to come anytime soon. That's fine with us... I'm sure he needs a little bit more time to cook anyways.
Along with the ultrasound and cervix exam, Jun had a strep test as well to see if she would need additional antibiotics when it was time for the actual delivery. The doctor gave us another clean bill of health and said that Jun was doing great. We'll have to start going back every week from now on so that there are hopefully no surprises as far as the delivery date is concerned. (Well, it won't be exactly every week since we our doctor is out of town this week in Surprise, Arizona to watch the Texas Ranger's spring training... jealous.)
Hopefully this good health for mama and baby will continue right up until our little guy is born.
According to the ultrasound tech, little Puff is still doing very good and everything is right on track. It also turns out that he's done a good bit of growing as well, since the ultrasound lady estimated his weight at 6 lbs, 13 ounces already. Wow! That's a big as some babies are when they are born! The doctor said that babies tend to grow about a half pound a week in the last month. If that holds true, we are are looking at having a big baby. I suppose the baby could come a little bit early, but the doctor did a cervix check on Jun (which she didn't enjoy very much...) who confirmed that the baby wasn't ready to come anytime soon. That's fine with us... I'm sure he needs a little bit more time to cook anyways.
Along with the ultrasound and cervix exam, Jun had a strep test as well to see if she would need additional antibiotics when it was time for the actual delivery. The doctor gave us another clean bill of health and said that Jun was doing great. We'll have to start going back every week from now on so that there are hopefully no surprises as far as the delivery date is concerned. (Well, it won't be exactly every week since we our doctor is out of town this week in Surprise, Arizona to watch the Texas Ranger's spring training... jealous.)
Hopefully this good health for mama and baby will continue right up until our little guy is born.
Maternity Photos
It's good to have talented and artistic friends, especially those of the photographer variety. Last week Jun and I had the opportunity to have our good friend Mandy take some maternity pictures for us. We had hoped to get 5-10 pictures out of the session, but we ended up with 130! Mandy, you do too much! Anyways, we were VERY happy with how they all came out.
Here are a few of our favorites:
Thanks again, Mandy! You're a lot of fun to take pictures with. We had a great time.
Here are a few of our favorites:
Thanks again, Mandy! You're a lot of fun to take pictures with. We had a great time.
A Third and Final Shower
Just when we think we have been sufficiently blessed with friends and family who have generously given our little boy tons of gifts and clothes, more people come forward to show us how much they care. Jun's co-workers threw her a baby shower last week and they really came through for her.
I couldn't be there because I had to be in San Diego to eat the world's largest chimichanga.
Ok, so I was actually there for work, but still... look at that monster. But I digress...
Here's some pictures from the shower and some of the neat gifts that our little man received:
Looks like some good times and great stuff, right?
I was sad that I had to miss this shower, but by all accounts, everything went great and Jun really enjoyed the party. Thanks to all of you who made it possible and to Pat, Jenna, Margret, Annette and the rest for setting everything up.
I couldn't be there because I had to be in San Diego to eat the world's largest chimichanga.
Ok, so I was actually there for work, but still... look at that monster. But I digress...
Here's some pictures from the shower and some of the neat gifts that our little man received:
Looks like some good times and great stuff, right?
I was sad that I had to miss this shower, but by all accounts, everything went great and Jun really enjoyed the party. Thanks to all of you who made it possible and to Pat, Jenna, Margret, Annette and the rest for setting everything up.
Friday, March 2, 2012
How to Hold a Bag of Ice for Long Periods of Time.
First off, a little Lamaze humor...
The room was full of pregnant women and their partners, and the Lamaze class was in full swing. The instructor was teaching the women how to breathe properly, along with informing the men how to give the necessary assurances at this stage of the plan.
The teacher then announced, "Ladies, exercise is good for you. Walking is especially beneficial. And, gentlemen, it wouldn't hurt you to take the time to go walking with your partner!"
The room really got quiet.
Finally, a man in the middle of the group raised his hand. "Yes?" replied the teacher. "Is it all right if she carries a golf bag while we walk?"
*Insert Rimshot*
"Thanks, I'll be here all week."
Jun and I attended a Lamaze class together last weekend. It proved to be a very informative event. Due to my uncertain work schedule, we avoided the class that went every day for a week for a couple of hours a day and went for the Friday-Saturday option. It was a 10-hours-over-2-days grind. However, I know we both got a lot out of the class.
There were 12 couples that were signed up for the class we got started on Friday at 6 PM. The Friday session was mostly about the three stages of labor and what changes the female body goes through in order to prepare for delivery. It was very scientific and medical which isn't something I was expecting. (I thought it would be more "hippy" for some reason.)
When I think of "Lamaze," I think of the breathing exercises. You know, like in the movies: "Hee hee hee hoooooo, hee hee hee hoooo." Well, it's not like that anymore apparently as the Saturday class showed us. Now it seems that the most effective way of dealing with the pain of contractions and labor is simply to distract the mother as best you can. The title of this post refers to the exercise we did to demonstrate this:
The mothers were given a ziplock bag of ice and told to hold it in her hand for the exercise. After each step she was given reprieve and was able to put the bag of ice down and warm her hand until the next step.
Step 1: Hold the bag in the palm of your hand and stare at it.
Step 2: Same as step one, but the lights were dimmed and soft music was played.
Step 3: Hold the bag in your hand while the fathers gave the mothers a massage.
Step 3: Hold the bag while leaning on a medical ball and getting a massage.
Step 4: Hold the bag while leaning on a chair and getting a massage.
Step 5: Hold the bag and stand and hold onto/lean on the father.
Step 6: Hold the bag and kick the medical ball back and forth between the mother and father like a soccer ball.
From this exercise, we learned that distraction is a very powerful tool, because not only did she hold onto the bag of ice longer with each step, she didn't feel the pain and discomfort as much. Very interesting.
During the Saturday session we also were able to take a tour of the hospital in which we saw the delivery, recovery, and waiting rooms. I was glad that we were able to see all of that to mentally prepare for what the delivery will actually look like.
Overall, Lamaze class was a very good experience and I'm glad we were able to attend. Hopefully it will be very beneficial when the time actually comes.
The room was full of pregnant women and their partners, and the Lamaze class was in full swing. The instructor was teaching the women how to breathe properly, along with informing the men how to give the necessary assurances at this stage of the plan.
The teacher then announced, "Ladies, exercise is good for you. Walking is especially beneficial. And, gentlemen, it wouldn't hurt you to take the time to go walking with your partner!"
The room really got quiet.
Finally, a man in the middle of the group raised his hand. "Yes?" replied the teacher. "Is it all right if she carries a golf bag while we walk?"
*Insert Rimshot*
"Thanks, I'll be here all week."
Jun and I attended a Lamaze class together last weekend. It proved to be a very informative event. Due to my uncertain work schedule, we avoided the class that went every day for a week for a couple of hours a day and went for the Friday-Saturday option. It was a 10-hours-over-2-days grind. However, I know we both got a lot out of the class.
There were 12 couples that were signed up for the class we got started on Friday at 6 PM. The Friday session was mostly about the three stages of labor and what changes the female body goes through in order to prepare for delivery. It was very scientific and medical which isn't something I was expecting. (I thought it would be more "hippy" for some reason.)
When I think of "Lamaze," I think of the breathing exercises. You know, like in the movies: "Hee hee hee hoooooo, hee hee hee hoooo." Well, it's not like that anymore apparently as the Saturday class showed us. Now it seems that the most effective way of dealing with the pain of contractions and labor is simply to distract the mother as best you can. The title of this post refers to the exercise we did to demonstrate this:
The mothers were given a ziplock bag of ice and told to hold it in her hand for the exercise. After each step she was given reprieve and was able to put the bag of ice down and warm her hand until the next step.
Step 1: Hold the bag in the palm of your hand and stare at it.
Step 2: Same as step one, but the lights were dimmed and soft music was played.
Step 3: Hold the bag in your hand while the fathers gave the mothers a massage.
Step 3: Hold the bag while leaning on a medical ball and getting a massage.
Step 4: Hold the bag while leaning on a chair and getting a massage.
Step 5: Hold the bag and stand and hold onto/lean on the father.
Step 6: Hold the bag and kick the medical ball back and forth between the mother and father like a soccer ball.
From this exercise, we learned that distraction is a very powerful tool, because not only did she hold onto the bag of ice longer with each step, she didn't feel the pain and discomfort as much. Very interesting.
During the Saturday session we also were able to take a tour of the hospital in which we saw the delivery, recovery, and waiting rooms. I was glad that we were able to see all of that to mentally prepare for what the delivery will actually look like.
Overall, Lamaze class was a very good experience and I'm glad we were able to attend. Hopefully it will be very beneficial when the time actually comes.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Belly Bump Picture Update: 32 Weeks
Here's a new picture of Jun and her basketball-shaped belly uploaded for posterity:
In this picture she's just a couple of days shy of 33 weeks. It's getting close!
In this picture she's just a couple of days shy of 33 weeks. It's getting close!
Thanks Jenna! 2: Baby Shower Boogaloo
On Saturday, Jenna was nice enough to throw a baby shower for Jun and I for all of our friends here in Texas. 10 of our closest friends gathered at the Cheesecake Factory in Arlington to have a good (and very filling) meal and enjoy each other's company. We had a great time and Puff received many great gifts.
How much stuff does one little baby need?
Thank you so much to Jenna for a great baby shower and thanks for all of you who came out help celebrate this special time for Jun and I. We were really feeling the love.
Here's some other pictures from the shower:
Thanks again for coming!
For those that have given us gifts for the baby; Jun and I have been diligently working on getting a thank you card in a timely manner.
Proof:
More organized:
Hope you will receive them soon.
How much stuff does one little baby need?
Thank you so much to Jenna for a great baby shower and thanks for all of you who came out help celebrate this special time for Jun and I. We were really feeling the love.
Here's some other pictures from the shower:
Thanks again for coming!
For those that have given us gifts for the baby; Jun and I have been diligently working on getting a thank you card in a timely manner.
Proof:
More organized:
Hope you will receive them soon.
Thanks Jenna!
Last Thursday, Jun was having having an especially difficult day. Work was a struggle, I was out of town (and out of country), and she always has the constant stress and strain of being pregnant. Jenna was able to see that Jun was having a bad day and was nice enough to buy her a cupcake from the Cupcakery in downtown.
Chocolate instantly makes a pregnant woman feel better.
Wait for it.....
Scrumptious!
Chocolate instantly makes a pregnant woman feel better.
Monday, February 6, 2012
The Great Diabetes Scare of 2012, Third Trimester Picture Dump
2012 has been a hectic one for Jun and I right out of the gate. I'm pretty sure I've spent an equal number of nights in hotel room as in my own bed. Nevertheless, I need to keep this blog up to date so I'll do my best to recount everything that has happened this year and throw in some updated belly pictures of Jun at the end.
Only three days into the new year Jun had a doctor's appointment where she was supposed to have her glucose levels tested in order to see if she had gestational diabetes. This test consisted of drinking a bottle of sugar water and then waiting an hour and then testing her urine for high sugar levels. We didn't get the results that day, but we heard the baby's heartbeat and the doctor said everything was going well.
Early the next week, Jun got a call from a nurse in her OB/GYN's office. The verdict:
Well, not necessarily. She just had elevated sugar levels (double what it should have been) and would require a more extensive 3-hour glucose test.
On the 16th, Jun went back in for the advanced glucose test. She was not happy about it, but we were hoping for a good result this time. She had to fast beforehand (not fun for a pregnant woman)and her blood was drawn as soon as she got to the doctor's office (needle stick #1). She had to drink even more sugar-water than the previous test, and get her blood drawn again (needle stick #2). After that, she had to wait an hour before having her blood drawn again (needle stick #3), and finally wait another hour before having her blood drawn for a last time (needle stick #4).
Overall it was a bad experience for her and she felt dizzy, sick, and nauseous for almost the entire day. However, it turned out to be worth it since a few days later she was told that she did not, in fact, have the diabeetus. Wilfred Brimley was sad.
I was out of town on business during this test, so I felt bad for not being their for her during this ordeal.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
More bad things were coming down the pipe for Jun as she had to go to the dentist and have a filling down on the 23rd. This didn't really have any affect on the baby, but it was still not fun for a pregnant woman to have to endure.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jun had another standard OB/GYN appointment on the 26th. Up until now, she had been gaining weight very slowly and due to her sickness in the first and second trimesters she really hadn't gained a whole lot of total weight with her pregnancy. This time, however, when she hopped on the scale the nurse had to do a double-take when she saw that Jun had gained 8lbs in three weeks! I thought it was funny, but it wasn't that funny to Jun. No more cake and ice cream for you, young lady!
Our appointment was fairly uneventful since we didn't get an ultrasound. We heard the baby's heartbeat again which was right in the healthy range. Always a good sign. At this point she was 30 weeks along and everything seems to be going great. She's far enough along now that she'll have to start seeing the doctor every 2 weeks up until week 36 when she'll have to go back every week. At week 36 we also get our last sonogram.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jun and I had been feeling very unprepared to welcome our baby home since we had very little in the way of baby supplies. Our baby shower in Pawnee on February 4th changed all that. We were very blessed to have several of our friends and relatives come to our shower to wish us well and give us a TON of gifts. It's a good thing we have a fairly large vehicle because we could have never have gotten it all home. If you're reading this and you came to our shower or sent a gift: THANK YOU. It meant a lot to us and we really felt the love.
After the shower was over we also were happy to have several of our friends join us for lunch at Click's Steakhouse. Good times were definitely had.
Overall, we had a good trip to Oklahoma and were able to spend quality time with our loved ones.
Here is a few choice pictures from our shower:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are a few pregnant belly pictures of Jun as she's gotten farther along:
28 Weeks:
29 Weeks:
30 Weeks (Right after the big weight gain. She wasn't happy I was taking her picture):
31 Weeks (Sorry, poor picture quality):
Only three days into the new year Jun had a doctor's appointment where she was supposed to have her glucose levels tested in order to see if she had gestational diabetes. This test consisted of drinking a bottle of sugar water and then waiting an hour and then testing her urine for high sugar levels. We didn't get the results that day, but we heard the baby's heartbeat and the doctor said everything was going well.
Early the next week, Jun got a call from a nurse in her OB/GYN's office. The verdict:
Well, not necessarily. She just had elevated sugar levels (double what it should have been) and would require a more extensive 3-hour glucose test.
On the 16th, Jun went back in for the advanced glucose test. She was not happy about it, but we were hoping for a good result this time. She had to fast beforehand (not fun for a pregnant woman)and her blood was drawn as soon as she got to the doctor's office (needle stick #1). She had to drink even more sugar-water than the previous test, and get her blood drawn again (needle stick #2). After that, she had to wait an hour before having her blood drawn again (needle stick #3), and finally wait another hour before having her blood drawn for a last time (needle stick #4).
Overall it was a bad experience for her and she felt dizzy, sick, and nauseous for almost the entire day. However, it turned out to be worth it since a few days later she was told that she did not, in fact, have the diabeetus. Wilfred Brimley was sad.
I was out of town on business during this test, so I felt bad for not being their for her during this ordeal.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
More bad things were coming down the pipe for Jun as she had to go to the dentist and have a filling down on the 23rd. This didn't really have any affect on the baby, but it was still not fun for a pregnant woman to have to endure.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jun had another standard OB/GYN appointment on the 26th. Up until now, she had been gaining weight very slowly and due to her sickness in the first and second trimesters she really hadn't gained a whole lot of total weight with her pregnancy. This time, however, when she hopped on the scale the nurse had to do a double-take when she saw that Jun had gained 8lbs in three weeks! I thought it was funny, but it wasn't that funny to Jun. No more cake and ice cream for you, young lady!
Our appointment was fairly uneventful since we didn't get an ultrasound. We heard the baby's heartbeat again which was right in the healthy range. Always a good sign. At this point she was 30 weeks along and everything seems to be going great. She's far enough along now that she'll have to start seeing the doctor every 2 weeks up until week 36 when she'll have to go back every week. At week 36 we also get our last sonogram.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jun and I had been feeling very unprepared to welcome our baby home since we had very little in the way of baby supplies. Our baby shower in Pawnee on February 4th changed all that. We were very blessed to have several of our friends and relatives come to our shower to wish us well and give us a TON of gifts. It's a good thing we have a fairly large vehicle because we could have never have gotten it all home. If you're reading this and you came to our shower or sent a gift: THANK YOU. It meant a lot to us and we really felt the love.
After the shower was over we also were happy to have several of our friends join us for lunch at Click's Steakhouse. Good times were definitely had.
Overall, we had a good trip to Oklahoma and were able to spend quality time with our loved ones.
Here is a few choice pictures from our shower:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are a few pregnant belly pictures of Jun as she's gotten farther along:
28 Weeks:
29 Weeks:
30 Weeks (Right after the big weight gain. She wasn't happy I was taking her picture):
31 Weeks (Sorry, poor picture quality):
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Baby It's (Not So) Cold Outside: Christmas Time in Oklahoma and New Years in Texas
Once again, Christmas has come and gone. It seems like it takes so long for Christmas to get here, and then it goes by so fast once it's here.
Jun and I both had Friday (the 23rd) off of work, so we got up early in the morning to begin the drive to Oklahoma. We didn't get up as early as we did for Thanksgiving because we didn't have to be there for lunch, but we still left our house at around 7:30. At about noon our car, which was loaded down with luggage and presents, pulled into my parent's driveway.
After a couple of hours of catching up with my parents, we all decided to venture to Stillwater to see a matinee showing of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Jun and I had watched a couple of the previous MI movies together so we knew we needed to make an effort to see this one as well. The movie was very good and we all enjoyed it, but Jun and I had the most fun feeling Puff "kick" Jun every time the Mission Impossible Theme was played during the movie. Jun had drank some pop during the movie, so we initially thought it was just a coincidence that Puff would be active during the show, but that night once we had gone to bed Jun started singing the Theme song and Puff would kick her! We got a good laugh out of that and were able to replicate the trick several times during the weekend.
Saturday was Christmas Eve and we spent all day at home with my parents and siblings as they ventured home for the holidays. It was not a very eventful day unless you consider completing a puzzle (minus one lost piece) and a rousing game of Apples to Apples an event.
Sunday was Christmas and brought with it all the joy and fun that Christmas always brings. We got up early (6:30) but not quite as early as we have in the past when it was my brother and I dictating the Christmas start time. It was a real blessing to be around all the family and the gifts. All of us got a good haul of presents. The highlight of the morning was the "quest" my parents set up to lead us to our final gift of the day. There were clues to decipher, puzzles to complete, and running all over the house (and outside!) to figure out where the last gift of Christmas was hidden.
We spent the afternoon playing with our new toys and eating too many cookies and enjoyed being with each other. At dinner time, we all made our way down to grandma's house where we always have dinner and the best Dirty Santa games I've ever been a part of. When we were done at grandma's house it officially put Christmas 2011 to bed.
Even though Puff is not here yet, he still had a stocking and managed to get some good gifts:
Clockwise from bottom left: OSU shirt and Eskimo Joe's shirt from cousin Tracie, 2 sport-themed onesies from Grandma, Dragon Pillow-Pet from Mom, picture frame from Mom, and babies first Bible from my sister Becky.
Even though he can't see or use them yet, I'm sure he's very appreciative to all of you for your gifts. Thanks!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was gone for work for the last two weeks in December leading up to Christmas, so Jun took the opportunity to put on her artist hat and begin making decorations for the nursery. We decided that Puff's room is going to be Snoopy-themed, so Jun made these to adorn the nursery walls:
Isn't she talented?!
Yesterday we went to Costco and found a pretty good deal on a Simmon's mattress for the crib, so we picked it up and brought it home. Since we now have a mattress we were able to put up the crib comforter set we bought to see what it's going to look like:
I think it looks really cute and I'm excited to get the rest of the decorating done so we can see what the whole nursery is going to look like when it's done.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Friday (the 30th) Jun had another appointment with the perinatologist (specialist baby doctor) to check up on the "unknown mass/object/prominent gall bladder/dilated liver tube" when has been worrying us for a couple of months now. This time, however, the doctor searched all over little Puff with the ultrasound and we unable to find any trace of "whatever it was." This was extremely good news and it means that Puff is perfectly healthy and weighs 2.2 lbs. He's actually a little big for his age according to the doctor! Jun is somewhere around 26.5 weeks, but Puff was measuring the same as a baby that is more than 27 weeks. Overachiever, I guess... At the end of the appointment the doctor said that we had "graduated" from seeing her and would not have to go back. From now on we'll be only seeing Jun's regular OB/GYN.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Over the last few days we've had the opportunity to spend time with our friends:
On Thursday (the 29th) we had dinner at On The Border with Mandy and Jeromy and their adorable daughter Paisley. It was fun to catch up with them, discuss our thoughts and fears on becoming parents and watch Paisley play with her first balloon.
On Friday (the 30th) we ventured over to Dallas to have dinner with Zach and Vanessa at Pappas Bros Steakhouse. Excellent steak and conversation were the highlight of the evening until an actual cry of "Is there a doctor in the house?!?" came from a booth across the room from where we were seated. I looked over to see a man slumped down in his booth and the lady next to him scream hysterically "Oh my God I can't feel a pulse!" Having just learned CPR a few months ago for my job I got up from my seat and began making my way over there, but by the time I reached the man there were several other people surrounding the man helping him and he appeared to have regained consciousness and was sitting up slightly.
An ambulance was called, but I'm not sure of the seriousness of the incident because the man was able to walk out of the restaurant to the ambulance under his own power. Made for an interesting evening. (Side note: As Jun and I arrived to the restaurant, I remarked to Jun that it seemed like a place that "doctors would eat at" due to the swankiness of the restaurant. We were both surprised that when the cry for a doctor went up, there was not a single person in the place that stood.)
Oh yeah, here's the cake and ice cream that Jun and I shared:
Last night (the 31st), we met up with our friends Nick and Ashley at Grace in downtown Fort Worth to begin ringing in the New Year. ANOTHER excellent meal with friends. We have been so spoiled for the last few days. After dinner we wandered around downtown Fort Worth before ending up in Nick's condo. Nick and I managed to stay up the entire night until midnight, but the girls passed the time with a little nap on Nick's couch. Seeing an opportunity to have some "guy time", Nick and I killed zombies on his Xbox for a couple of hours during the girls' nap until it was time to wake them up to say hello to 2012.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm excited for what 2012 is going to bring. I know for sure that life is going to change forever for Jun and I when we welcome our baby in early April. Other than that, who knows what is going to happen?
Jun and I both had Friday (the 23rd) off of work, so we got up early in the morning to begin the drive to Oklahoma. We didn't get up as early as we did for Thanksgiving because we didn't have to be there for lunch, but we still left our house at around 7:30. At about noon our car, which was loaded down with luggage and presents, pulled into my parent's driveway.
After a couple of hours of catching up with my parents, we all decided to venture to Stillwater to see a matinee showing of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Jun and I had watched a couple of the previous MI movies together so we knew we needed to make an effort to see this one as well. The movie was very good and we all enjoyed it, but Jun and I had the most fun feeling Puff "kick" Jun every time the Mission Impossible Theme was played during the movie. Jun had drank some pop during the movie, so we initially thought it was just a coincidence that Puff would be active during the show, but that night once we had gone to bed Jun started singing the Theme song and Puff would kick her! We got a good laugh out of that and were able to replicate the trick several times during the weekend.
Saturday was Christmas Eve and we spent all day at home with my parents and siblings as they ventured home for the holidays. It was not a very eventful day unless you consider completing a puzzle (minus one lost piece) and a rousing game of Apples to Apples an event.
Sunday was Christmas and brought with it all the joy and fun that Christmas always brings. We got up early (6:30) but not quite as early as we have in the past when it was my brother and I dictating the Christmas start time. It was a real blessing to be around all the family and the gifts. All of us got a good haul of presents. The highlight of the morning was the "quest" my parents set up to lead us to our final gift of the day. There were clues to decipher, puzzles to complete, and running all over the house (and outside!) to figure out where the last gift of Christmas was hidden.
We spent the afternoon playing with our new toys and eating too many cookies and enjoyed being with each other. At dinner time, we all made our way down to grandma's house where we always have dinner and the best Dirty Santa games I've ever been a part of. When we were done at grandma's house it officially put Christmas 2011 to bed.
Even though Puff is not here yet, he still had a stocking and managed to get some good gifts:
Clockwise from bottom left: OSU shirt and Eskimo Joe's shirt from cousin Tracie, 2 sport-themed onesies from Grandma, Dragon Pillow-Pet from Mom, picture frame from Mom, and babies first Bible from my sister Becky.
Even though he can't see or use them yet, I'm sure he's very appreciative to all of you for your gifts. Thanks!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was gone for work for the last two weeks in December leading up to Christmas, so Jun took the opportunity to put on her artist hat and begin making decorations for the nursery. We decided that Puff's room is going to be Snoopy-themed, so Jun made these to adorn the nursery walls:
Isn't she talented?!
Yesterday we went to Costco and found a pretty good deal on a Simmon's mattress for the crib, so we picked it up and brought it home. Since we now have a mattress we were able to put up the crib comforter set we bought to see what it's going to look like:
I think it looks really cute and I'm excited to get the rest of the decorating done so we can see what the whole nursery is going to look like when it's done.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Friday (the 30th) Jun had another appointment with the perinatologist (specialist baby doctor) to check up on the "unknown mass/object/prominent gall bladder/dilated liver tube" when has been worrying us for a couple of months now. This time, however, the doctor searched all over little Puff with the ultrasound and we unable to find any trace of "whatever it was." This was extremely good news and it means that Puff is perfectly healthy and weighs 2.2 lbs. He's actually a little big for his age according to the doctor! Jun is somewhere around 26.5 weeks, but Puff was measuring the same as a baby that is more than 27 weeks. Overachiever, I guess... At the end of the appointment the doctor said that we had "graduated" from seeing her and would not have to go back. From now on we'll be only seeing Jun's regular OB/GYN.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Over the last few days we've had the opportunity to spend time with our friends:
On Thursday (the 29th) we had dinner at On The Border with Mandy and Jeromy and their adorable daughter Paisley. It was fun to catch up with them, discuss our thoughts and fears on becoming parents and watch Paisley play with her first balloon.
On Friday (the 30th) we ventured over to Dallas to have dinner with Zach and Vanessa at Pappas Bros Steakhouse. Excellent steak and conversation were the highlight of the evening until an actual cry of "Is there a doctor in the house?!?" came from a booth across the room from where we were seated. I looked over to see a man slumped down in his booth and the lady next to him scream hysterically "Oh my God I can't feel a pulse!" Having just learned CPR a few months ago for my job I got up from my seat and began making my way over there, but by the time I reached the man there were several other people surrounding the man helping him and he appeared to have regained consciousness and was sitting up slightly.
An ambulance was called, but I'm not sure of the seriousness of the incident because the man was able to walk out of the restaurant to the ambulance under his own power. Made for an interesting evening. (Side note: As Jun and I arrived to the restaurant, I remarked to Jun that it seemed like a place that "doctors would eat at" due to the swankiness of the restaurant. We were both surprised that when the cry for a doctor went up, there was not a single person in the place that stood.)
Oh yeah, here's the cake and ice cream that Jun and I shared:
Last night (the 31st), we met up with our friends Nick and Ashley at Grace in downtown Fort Worth to begin ringing in the New Year. ANOTHER excellent meal with friends. We have been so spoiled for the last few days. After dinner we wandered around downtown Fort Worth before ending up in Nick's condo. Nick and I managed to stay up the entire night until midnight, but the girls passed the time with a little nap on Nick's couch. Seeing an opportunity to have some "guy time", Nick and I killed zombies on his Xbox for a couple of hours during the girls' nap until it was time to wake them up to say hello to 2012.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm excited for what 2012 is going to bring. I know for sure that life is going to change forever for Jun and I when we welcome our baby in early April. Other than that, who knows what is going to happen?
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