Hopkins In Arkansas

Say a prayer for Connor...

2009-03-05T17:56:00.000-08:00

During the night, Connor struggled a little bit with spitting up mucous. So, today they suctioned out his tummy to try to help him get rid of it. Well, he is still struggling with gagging on it. I can't nurse him because he gags everytime I try. They are evaluating him again in the nursery right now. But, we won't be going home until they have a better understanding and we can get him to eat properly. The pediatrician will be back in the morning to evaluate as well. It's probably something minor that just takes time to work itself out.

In the meantime, I'm going to just enjoy snuggling with our sweet little boy...

He's here!

2009-03-04T20:12:00.000-08:00

Here's a summary of the day's events:
Epidural - 9:30 a.m.
Pitocin - 10 a.m.
Water Broken - 1 p.m.
Baby delivered - 6:10 p.m.

Connor Stephan is 8 lbs 12 oz & 21" long. He is a big boy!!

I'm so tired, but so thankful to have a healthy baby. Leah visited for a few minutes & she loves her baby brother. She wanted to check out his fingers and his belly. Then, she gave him kisses (or in her words - "I give him sugars"). She really does seem intrigued, but happy to see us and her brother. She cried when she had to leave and I heard her saying "stay with mommy & daddy" the whole way down the hall. It broke my heart, but I know we will have plenty of time together in the days ahead.

I feel tired and I am trying to keep up with the pain management. I'm thrilled to already be able to be up and walking without too much pain. It's more just feeling kind of weak.

Jesse is a proud daddy. He has had some good "holding" time with Connor. He is going home to get some rest & my mom is going to stay tonight.

Well, it appears Connor is hungry and wants his momma!! So, I need to run. Thanks for all of your well wishes and prayers.

Much love,
Anna

Getting Ready to Go!

2009-03-04T03:02:00.000-08:00

So, I went to bed around midnight, but I just couldn't sleep. My mind was racing to make sure I had packed everything. The funny part is that we live less than 5 minutes from the hospital, so there is nothing so critical that I can't get pretty quickly. Oh well! I have a few hours of sleep to go on...which is better than last time, so I guess I'll just be thankful.

I am really excited & ready to get this done! To be completely transparent, I am nervous. I'm not nervous about delivery, but I am nervous about the baby's health. We are taking extra precautions this time (IV antibiotics while I am in labor, controlled induction, etc), but I have to admit it lingers in the back of my mind - will he struggle like Leah? We have done all we can do on our side, and now I am just trusting God to lead us through the next phase. I learned so much through our journey with Leah, but it was quite journey! I want to maintain that same heart of openness to God's plan with Connor.

Please pray with us today. We are ready to meet our boy!

We have a date!!

2009-02-24T07:53:00.000-08:00

Today's dr. visit stats:
dilated 3 cm & almost 100% effaced
Connor is measuring 8 lbs 3 oz (+/- 19 oz) - I laughed at this because he could be only 7 lbs or he could be over 9 lbs...love those estimates.

The doctor thinks I will have the baby before my appointment next Tuesday. He said that gravity is my friend and walking will help. If I have more than 4 contractions in an hour, then I can go to labor & delivery to be induced. If I don't have the baby before next Wednesday, I will be induced at 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday, 3/4.

My mom arrives on Thursday night so I'm going to try to be good until then. :)

Dr Appointment

2009-02-16T19:36:00.000-08:00

I had a great doctor's appointment this morning, despite only sleeping 3 hours last night. My proteins, blood pressure, etc are all holding steady. Not much has changed in the way of "progression" (2cm, 80%, -1), but the doctor was really pleased with all of my numbers and my overall health.

My next visit will be next week on Tuesday. I'll have my ultrasound first and then meet with the doctor to decide next steps. He is a very big boy, so I am hoping he will come before next Tuesday. But, if he doesn't, I need to start preparing myself for a c-section.

I took a great nap today and I am hoping I will be able to sleep well tonight. Leah is getting anxious to meet "beautiful Connor" as she now calls him. And, I'm anxious too.

I'll update if anything exciting happens. :)

Waiting..

2009-02-15T08:56:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day was a nice relaxing day at our house. Leah and I received beautiful tulips from Jesse/Daddy. We watched cartoons most of the morning, then Leah and I took a long nap. Then, Leah's Poppie (Jesse's Dad) came by with a humongous balloon & a mini-cake for Leah for Valentine's Day. She LOVED both. Jesse's mom has pneumonia and is still running a fever, so we weren't able to go visit. But, we hope to visit this week when she is feeling better. Then, last night we ordered curbside-to-go from Outback. Yes, we splurged, but it was so good! I still have half of my dinner left so I'm looking forward to lunch!

On the baby front, not much has changed other than my stomach is growing out more & more each day. If he was 7+ pounds 2 weeks ago, I'm curious as to how huge he must be now. I'm looking forward to my doctor's appointment tomorrow. I have promised myself that I will not be discouraged if I haven't progressed, but I need a little bit of hope that the random contractions and pains are actually doing something!! Either way, I am extremely thankful that we have managed to get past 36 weeks now. His lungs should be stable for when he arrives, and we are so thankful!

Well, Leah is wanting me to watch Blue's Clues, so I better get going. I'll update tomorrow after my doctor's appointment!

Job security?

2009-02-10T12:43:00.000-08:00

Wal-Mart announced 700+ layoffs today...many coming from the Real Estate division where I currently am employed. Due to my medical leave status, I will not know about the security of my position until I am ready to report back to work (6 weeks after Connor arrives). So, it will be weeks before I know anything.

My co-workers are keeping me updated on all of the changes. My team has remained whole so far, but my department lost several employees. My division (Real Estate) took a hard hit. \

My position is a diversified support role for new stores, remodels & mechanical services. I believe our positions (on my team of 8) will all be kept.

If I find anything else out, I will update. But, for now, it appears I survived the storm.

No Progress Is Progress???

2009-02-09T12:04:00.000-08:00

Well, we just got back from the doctor's appointment. I've pretty much stayed the same except for I am now at 80% effaced. My proteins were still 1+ and even my weight stayed the same. The baby has grown, but I will not have another scheduled ultrasound until 2/24. My next dr appointment (if nothing eventful occurs this week) will be next Monday.

I feel very conflicted. I'm glad that Connor is still growing & that his lungs get stronger every day that he can stay in the womb. But, I'm also really weary of my house, my bed, tv, facebook, etc. I can only take so much. I discussed this with my doctor, but he feels strongly that the only way we are managing preterm labor risks & my blood pressure is by keeping me on bed rest. I know this is true, but when my blood pressure is holding steady and I FEEL like being up and around, it is hard to make myself be still.

I am rewarding myself with a chicken sandwich since I haven't gained any weight for a month. What's a few pounds?! I may even splurge for ice cream tonight.

Happy Birthday to Jesse's mom - Kay!! Leah is very excited about singing to her Mimi tonight.

It is a full moon, so you never know what might happen....

More of the same

2009-02-08T07:36:00.000-08:00

The past few days have been more of the same - contractions that are not close enough together to make the trip back to the hospital.

The baby has dropped and this has created all sorts of fun pressure. As much as I research the web, everything seems to be very vague about timelines. It could be 2 days or 2 weeks. As nervous as I am about him coming early, I am just as frustrated with being in bed. But, his needs come first and I want him to be a healthy boy.

We know from the ultrasound last Monday that he is 7 pounds minimum. But, we remain concerned about lung development. Leah was born at 37 weeks, 7 lbs 9 oz, and she had severe lung problems. My doctor doesn't want me to worry about it because he doesn't think it will happen again. And even if it does, we'll be better prepared to treat Connor because we know what went wrong with Leah's treatment.

So, I go to see the doctor tomorrow. I will be 35 weeks and 3 days, so I know he won't induce me yet. This is more of an appointment to check to see if I have progressed (dilation & effacement) and monitor the proteins & blood pressure. My proteins were 1+ last week so we have to make sure they don't increase. Proteins indicate preeclampsia. Leah was induced because of this condition - high proteins & high blood pressure.

I'm going to work on thank you notes today and maybe even read some. Leah likes to lay in bed with me and watch her shows, so it has been nice to still have time with her. She will go to daycare as usual this week as Jesse needs to work & I can't take care of all of her needs due to the need to lift her & be up on my feet more than I should.

I'll update tomorrow after my appointment.

Bed Rest

2009-02-05T07:37:00.000-08:00

Because I am on bed rest & need something to occupy my time, I thought I would start a blog. The hospital where we are going to have baby #2 - Connor Stephan - has wireless, so I thought it might be fun to blog the events leading up to his birth, then keep all of our friends and family updated when he finally does decide to arrive.

Yesterday was such a weird day. I started having contractions at work and they were consistently 4 minutes apart. So, Jesse came to pick me up and take me to the hospital. They verified that I was having contractions, but the contractions wouldn't stay consistent in timing or strength. Put simply, I was having pain but no progress. Because we are still so early, the doctor did not think it would be wise to help me along by inducing or giving any meds. So, we decided to come back home and wait it out.

So, if the contractions are more consistent, my water breaks, or my blood pressure becomes more elevated, then I will head back over to the hospital. My next doctor's appointment is Monday, so we'll get an update then if nothing happens before then.

I was so tired & sore yesterday after all of the craziness. Jesse's mom, Kay, generously offered to pick up Leah & keep her for the night. I was really grateful because I needed the rest. Leah loves going to her Mimi & Poppi's house, so I didn't worry. I did miss her though.

I really miss going to work and having an established schedule. I like my job & my co-workers. But, as much as I miss it, I know that my body was giving out & my blood pressure was staying high because of the stress. So, it is kind of a relief to be able to rest & not push myself so much.