Just Really Quickly

Well, today went surprisingly well. I'm still shocked that things went as easily as they did.

Quick Updates (full-ish story to come tomorrow):
-Epidurals are AMAZING
-I only had to push three times! (two big ones and then a slower push as they got the rest of her body out)
-I was only in active labor to delivery for 4.5 hours (yay!)
-Emmalynn was born at 2:50 at exactly 7lbs. She's 19.5 inches long.
-Apgar score of 8 then 9
-Mom and Baby are doing just fine. Mom is exhausted since doctors kept her up with meds all night last night. Time to do some 'catching up' while at the hospital.
-Daddy is proud
-Our hospital has great nurses and good food (a lot better than stories I've heard)
-We get to leave the hospital on Wednesday unless something unexpected happens.
-We're definitely already in love with her
-She likes our voices and knows her Mommy and Daddy
-She's doing well at breastfeeding so far

We're all safe and happy. Now it's time to feed her, and get to bed!
Picture will come tomorrow too

First IV Ever!

Well, I'm at the hospital and have been for 3 hours now. I'm already SO DONE with it.
Hospital beds are NOT very comfortable... at all. I've had my first dose of Cytotec. Super exciting! haha, not really.

When I came in I was dilated at a 1 (woo...! more than Monday) and effaced about 70%. Which for being 37 weeks and first time pregnancy, actually is a good sign. It's pretty hopeful at this point that inducing me is actually going to work. yay!

Anyway, tonight is going to be a long night. How are you supposed to sleep with an IV? I'm so paranoid that I'm going to lay on it or pull it out or something.

Anyway, there's the update! I get more Cytotec every 3 hours until the morning when they'll start the pitocin.

Oh, and I'm so hungry!

Today is Hospital Day

Well, Michael and I have our bag packed (we did that earlier this week) and it's just sitting next to the door ready for us to take it with us. We've got the car seat in the car. I'll get the sacrament today and take a bunch of naps/play games with Michael. I finished crocheting a dress for Emmalynn with a matching headband and bracelet, so I guess I'll learn how to make a hat now. Our kitchen is clean and all of the dishes are done. We've still got some clothes to fold, but we did get a chance to wash ALL of the laundry that needed done. Our living room is pretty clean and Michael cleaned the bathroom. Our bedroom is kinda messy, but that's not going to change. We're ready. Or at least, as ready as we're going to be!

We're going to the hospital today.
We are going to the hospital TODAY.
We are GOING TO THE HOSPITAL TODAY.

It's really started to hit me. I'm quite terrified, but I'll be getting a blessing today and I know things will be okay. I'm just... nervous.

Last night it hit me that when I leave, it will be the last time I leave the house without a baby in tow or without leaving a baby behind. crazy.

Anyway. I'm freaking out a little bit. But, it's alright.
At least I like my doctors. and all of the nurses I've met at the hospital so far have been VERY nice (I've met quite a few... haha). So at least I'm not scared to go because of the people.

I'll have Michael post pictures when we have pictures! Baby is coming SOON!

Weekend Plans...

Well, my weekend plans are probably the craziest they ever have been, because they include HAVING A BABY.

Today, Michael will be cleaning up our apartment a bit more/organizing last minute things while I crochet/watch him. I've been working on a dress for Emmalynn, and it's not turning out TOO terribly. So we'll see if it ever even comes close to fitting her! haha

My friend Christina is also going to come over today and help Michael tidy up a bit/hang out with me. So that'll be nice.

Then, this evening, I am just going to spend with my darling husband because it will be our last night just as us. I'm not sure what we'll do yet, but we want to do something 'special'. We'll probably get some Cafe Rio to go (since I'm not supposed to really go out much) and cuddle up to some movie or something. SOO exciting, I know. But, there aren't a lot of options in Provo, and there are even LESS options when you're not supposed to be doing stuff... haha

We're doing all of our laundry today so that next week when we come home, it'll all be done and folded/hung up! Yay!

Anyway, those are the plans for today. Tomorrow, the Elder's Quorom President is coming over before church (he's one of Michael's favorite mission companions... so they go way back haha) and they are going to give me a blessing and just chat with us a bit. So that'll be nice.

Then, sometime tomorrow we'll be heading into the hospital! I'm really nervous and quite frankly, a bit scared. I have no idea what it's going to be like. I mean, I've asked questions and gotten really good answers from our doctors (I LOVE our doctors btw... they have never made me doubt their abilities and are SO NICE), but you still never know how things are going to go. I don't even know if I'll be able to sleep much tomorrow night, especially with them waking me up every 3 hours. So, should I try and sleep all day tomorrow until it's time? Haha

I'm just so scared that I won't be able to do it (I know I don't really have a choice... but still). Also, I don't even know if my body will respond to being induced since it is so early, so I don't even know if I'll be having a C-section or not! I think I'm pretty prepared for a normal birth, but I was NOT planning on a C-section and have not really prepared myself for being cut open and having to recover from that!
There are just so many things that could change at the last minute right now. Nothing at all is set... the only thing I know is I'm going to the hospital tomorrow evening. It's just a scary thought. At least before, I didn't even know when I was going to the hospital, so I didn't have to stay up all night worrying about it! haha

I wish I had more time to prepare my mind, but I guess that's what happens when one day you plan on having another month to prepare and five minutes later you're told you only have 6 days.

Here's a picture of my view from the couch as Michael washes the dishes :)

and... there is a picture of me too. at 37 weeks.

Bedrest and June Babies

Well,
I've been put on bed rest. Last week, it wasn't a strict bed rest, but as of today, it is. I'm not supposed to even get up without help if I can help it. Woo!

Since being on bed rest, I've decided to try to pick up some sort of hobby so that I could fill my time with something other than TV/Computer stuff. So, I started to learn how to crochet.

This is what I've done so far (in the three hours I've been doing it... haha)






One is a headband for me, and one is a matching one for Emmalynn! Woot!

So, here's the story. I did a 24 hours urine protein test over the weekend and turned in the stuff for it today at the outpatient center in the hospital. They said they would send the results to my doctor's office and they should contact me in 2-3 days.
However, while Michael and I were hanging out with Michael's brother and family I had my phone in the other room. When they left, I saw I had 3 missed calls from the doctor's office. Oops! I wasn't supposed to get the results until later, so I wasn't expecting a call or anything. Anyway, I listened to the message they left, and they said things like "We received your lab results and need to speak with you today" "please call back before 5" "we have very specific instructions for you that we need to tell you about" etc. It was all very professional, but we could tell that there was something with my lab results that needed to be taken care of sooner rather than later. So, I called back (even though it was 6:30 and the office closes at 5) to listen to the instructions on how to speak to someone on-call. But, they said not to use the on-call person for lab results... but I still felt a little bit uneasy about not doing ANYTHING about the message they left. So, Michael and I decided we should head to the hospital... again. Yay! We knew they would have my results and there would be a doctor from our office there that could talk to us about them. So off we went! We got there, they pulled up my records and called the doctor over right away.

The doctor told us I had 900mg protein in my urine... meaning I most definitely have pre-eclampsia and need to be monitored (since 300mg is pre-eclampsia). They took me to a room and had me change into one of their lovely gowns and started to monitor the baby and check the amniotic fluid. As of right now, the fluid looks good and the baby is still doing well, but I will be monitored again Wednesday and Thursday and then, we'll be having our baby sometime Monday (as long as all goes well)!

Who knew I'd be having a June baby? Crazy! So much to do, not allowed to do it, and so little time! YIKES! Anyway, long story short. I have pre-eclampsia that is developing some-what quickly so we are having our baby at 37 weeks. I'll go to the hospital Sunday night and they will induce me then, unless some of the tests they do later one this week show a rapid decline in placental function, in which case they will admit me sooner.

Scary scary scary!

In the meantime, here are some pictures of our apartment! It's just our kitchen and bedroom for now... even though we've got another room and a living room and laundry room/storage room and bathroom.
The 'room' with the crib in it is actually attached to our bedroom kind of like a closet.

The pictures aren't the greatest because I am still figuring out how to use our camera... haha.

What I Did for My Birthday!

Well, the day started out pretty much like any other day, except I had a huge head ache. So, rather than drive Michael to work at 5:40, I stayed in bed and had him take a big snack to work instead of me bringing him lunch, and told him he could come home early. So, he came home two hours early (yay!) and I was still not up and ready for the day. I just had the worst headache and had a hard time sleeping because of it, so I just stayed in bed resting.

Then, I finally gave in and took some tylenol, but it did almost nothing. It helped for about an hour, and then my headache was completely back. Michael was really sweet and took good care of me. All I wanted for my birthday was to spend time with him (since most days I don't get to do a lot of that because he works full time and I'm ready for bed by the time he's home). And he knew I like ice cream cake and hadn't had one in a long time, so we got one of the small ones to share. YUM!

There were a few errands we decided to run (how fun!) today because I've been feeling like it needed to be done sooner rather than later. It was just picking up last minute baby items (like wipes, rash cream, changing pad, shampoo, etc). I suppose it's a good thing we did that today, because apparently, we may not have gotten another chance!

Because, after that my headache was still killing me and I was beginning to get a little dizzy. So, we went to the doctor's office to get my blood pressure checked (they said to come in and do it anytime if I had a bad headache that wouldn't go away with tylenol). So, it was high. It was 141/98. Which = pre-eclampsia high. So, they took it on the other arm, and that side was high as well. So, they sent me to the hospital to get a full pre-eclampsia work-up and get my blood pressure checked every five minutes while monitoring the baby.

Good news! Emmalynn is still super active (I could have told you that) and she has a healthy heartbeat! Yay! It was kind of fun to listen to her heart beat for a few hours and hear how she reacted to different things. She definitely calms down when Michael talks to her. It's really quite sweet.

Anyway, here's the news that's actually interesting-ish. I don't have pre-eclampsia! ...yet. They said there is a good chance I develop it within the next week (but I could get lucky and not develop it... although chances are, I will). So, I get to do a 24 hour urine test this weekend to monitor the protein in my urine, and I'll probably be doing another one next week/weekend to test against it. yay! If the urine test isn't good, I'll do another sooner than next weekend. If it's fine, they'll just re-check to be sure. If I get more signs, they'll send me back to the hospital for the blood work to be done again and the blood pressure check. And if I am diagnosed with it, they'll induce me that day.

So, based on what the doctor said, I could be having this baby anytime in the next little bit. He said I probably won't make it to my due date, but there is a chance this is just a false alarm. The nurse told us she'd probably be seeing us in 1-2 weeks and made the comment that she usually sees people like me within a week. heh. I certainly hope not that soon! Although, I suppose Michael and I are as ready as we'll ever be!

If my blood pressure doesn't lower in the next 2 weeks, they'll induce me before my due date even if I'm not officially diagnosed with pre-eclampsia. We'll see how long I can hold on to this baby!

Oh yeah, and today Michael and I went into the Verizon store because we STILL have not gotten the check we were supposed to get almost a year ago. They pulled up Michael's file and could see every time that he'd called and what-not. And the last time he called, the lady didn't put in any requests at all! She didn't do ANYTHING. So, hopefully this time, we might actually get our 100+ dollars from verizon. Ugh.

Doctors and Dentists

Well, yesterday was my 36 week appointment with the doctor and they are worried about Preeclampsia. My blood pressure has been sneaking up (it's still within the normal/healthy bp range, but it's about as high as it can get and stay in that range... which for me, is HIGH). And there has been some protein in my urine the past two visits (which has also been increasing slightly). So, if my blood pressure is higher again next time, they're going to put me on bed rest. Woo... haha. And they also told me some other things to watch for. Oh, and my weight has been jumping up a bit more than it should too (and I've been eating even healthier the past month!). Anyway, so they are concerned.

I've been having contractions all day today. About 30-45 minutes apart, and some of them have started to hurt a bit. Hmm... we'll see what happens! It's still a bit too early to have her! I just want her to stay where she is for at least another week!


So today, I went to the dentists. Well, a dental clinic. BYU doesn't do dental insurance, but it has been almost 2 years since I've seen a dentist! So, I have a friend in school studying to be a dental hygienist... who needed people to practice doing cleanings on. So, I got a cleaning done by my old roommate Kayla. It was actually pretty fun to know who was cleaning your teeth. And, even after 2 years of not going, I didn't have any cavities and still not much plaque build up. Kayla's instructor was pretty impressed and was kind of sad because it made Kayla's job easier - haha.

Anyway, things are pretty good. I'm exhausted and don't do too much during the day as it is. What would I even do differently if I was put on bed rest!? haha, I suppose there are some things I'd have to stop doing. But honestly, at this point I'm basically acting like I'm on bed rest already...

Oh, and my Iron is still lower than it should be, so I'm sure that adds to the exhaustion. yay.

Anyway, Emmalynn is coming SO SOON! My due date is a month from today! :)