Webernj - Navigating the courses of life.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Birth Story
It all began on Friday, June 9, 2006 at 11:00 am. I was scheduled for a post-due date non-stress test and exam. Mom came up to accompany me to the appointment so that Rob could save his vacation days for when the baby came. When we got to the office, they informed us that the Dr. was at the hospital delivering someone else. We went ahead with the non-stress test. At one point during the test, Katherine's heartbeat dropped to 90 for about a minute during a particularly long contraction. Because of that, the nurse had us go to the hospital for additional monitoring and to meet with the Dr. At the hospital, Katherine's heartbeat dropped slightly a few times, but nothing like what happened in the office. My OB, Dr. Richman, finally decided to admit me and induce labor as a precaution and because of our post-due status.
Dr. Richman wanted to let me progress on my own for a few hours since contractions had started. At around 8:00 pm on Friday, they started the induction process with cervadil. That started working quickly and the contractions began getting stronger and occurring more often. By 4:30 am on Saturday, the contractions had finally gotten stong enough to keep me awake and cause me some serious discomfort. That was the worst part...I couldn't get comfortable in any position. Let me just say, the epidural was a wonderful thing! Once they administered the drugs, life was good. I was able to get some sleep and save my energy for later.
At 7:00 am on Saturday I was barely dilated 1 cm so they started the pitocin. Dr. Richman checked me around 11:00 am and said that I was at 7 cm. He was quite suprised. He predicted that the baby would be born around 1:00 pm. Less than an hour later, I started feeling some pressure that inspired Mom to alert my nurse. (Meanwhile Dad and Rob were grabbing a snack in the cafeteria!) She checked and exclaimed that the baby's head was "right there". She notified Dr. Richman and the preparations were made. Rob and Dad got back and we started delivering around 12:10 pm and Katherine was born at 12:30 pm! The delivery was suprisingly easy. By 1:00 pm I was holding my healthy daughter and snacking on some chocolate chip cookies!
Dr. Richman wanted to let me progress on my own for a few hours since contractions had started. At around 8:00 pm on Friday, they started the induction process with cervadil. That started working quickly and the contractions began getting stronger and occurring more often. By 4:30 am on Saturday, the contractions had finally gotten stong enough to keep me awake and cause me some serious discomfort. That was the worst part...I couldn't get comfortable in any position. Let me just say, the epidural was a wonderful thing! Once they administered the drugs, life was good. I was able to get some sleep and save my energy for later.
At 7:00 am on Saturday I was barely dilated 1 cm so they started the pitocin. Dr. Richman checked me around 11:00 am and said that I was at 7 cm. He was quite suprised. He predicted that the baby would be born around 1:00 pm. Less than an hour later, I started feeling some pressure that inspired Mom to alert my nurse. (Meanwhile Dad and Rob were grabbing a snack in the cafeteria!) She checked and exclaimed that the baby's head was "right there". She notified Dr. Richman and the preparations were made. Rob and Dad got back and we started delivering around 12:10 pm and Katherine was born at 12:30 pm! The delivery was suprisingly easy. By 1:00 pm I was holding my healthy daughter and snacking on some chocolate chip cookies!
Presenting...Katherine!
She's Here!
Katherine Carol Weber
Born: June 10, 2006 at 12:30 pm
Weight: 7 pounds
Heights: 20 1/4 inches
The nurses in the hospital nursery obviously enjoyed playing with Katherine's hair. Everytime they gave her a bath, they combed her hair into a mohawk. We'll try to get more pictures with her eyes open and with a normal hair-do. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but her hair is a reddish-brown. A complete birth story will be posted soon.
Katherine is doing extremely well. She is eating like a champ, sleeping very well, and dirtying lots of diapers!
Katherine Carol Weber
Born: June 10, 2006 at 12:30 pm
Weight: 7 pounds
Heights: 20 1/4 inches
The nurses in the hospital nursery obviously enjoyed playing with Katherine's hair. Everytime they gave her a bath, they combed her hair into a mohawk. We'll try to get more pictures with her eyes open and with a normal hair-do. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but her hair is a reddish-brown. A complete birth story will be posted soon.
Katherine is doing extremely well. She is eating like a champ, sleeping very well, and dirtying lots of diapers!
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Frustration Abounds!
Katherine is officially overdue!
I had an appointment with the OB today for a non-stress test and an exam. The non-stress test showed that Katherine is doing beautifully. Her heart rate and movements are perfect.
The results of the exam were that I am not effaced or dialated at all. You may recall that the nurse-midwife has told us that I was "very effaced" on two occasions. (Cue frustration!) According to our OB, he "needs to review pelvic exams with her". He was very certain of his assessment and seemed quite perturbed with the nurse-midwife.
Long story short, I'm scheduled for another non-stress test and exam on Friday. We'll discuss the plan of action after seeing if any progress has been made. The OB doesn't want us getting to 42 weeks without delivering. So one way or another, something will happen before June 19th.
I had an appointment with the OB today for a non-stress test and an exam. The non-stress test showed that Katherine is doing beautifully. Her heart rate and movements are perfect.
The results of the exam were that I am not effaced or dialated at all. You may recall that the nurse-midwife has told us that I was "very effaced" on two occasions. (Cue frustration!) According to our OB, he "needs to review pelvic exams with her". He was very certain of his assessment and seemed quite perturbed with the nurse-midwife.
Long story short, I'm scheduled for another non-stress test and exam on Friday. We'll discuss the plan of action after seeing if any progress has been made. The OB doesn't want us getting to 42 weeks without delivering. So one way or another, something will happen before June 19th.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Any Day Now!
We had our OB check-up tonight. There has been pretty much no progress made in the last week. I'm about 50% effaced and not dialated at all! If Katherine isn't born by Monday, we're scheduled for a non-stress test on Tuesday. It's routine once the baby is officially "overdue". A non-stress test just monitors the baby's heartbeat and movements. Based on everything so far, I think the non-stress test will be fine. As long as there are no concerns from the test, we will talk to the Dr. about planning an induction. Of course Katherine can always surprise us all by arriving on her own.
I have managed to avoid swollen feet during most of this pregnancy. However, the heat seems to be making my piggies plump. Yippee! Oh, I don't think I mentioned that I have resorted to wearing Rob's athletic shorts and pj pants. None of my maternity shorts fit anymore. And ROb's pj pants are more comfortable than most of my pants. The waist band doesn't feel like it's cutting into my belly. The scary part is that his pants almost fit me perfectly. My belly is taking up so much room that they are barely too long.
We'll keep everyone updated.
I have managed to avoid swollen feet during most of this pregnancy. However, the heat seems to be making my piggies plump. Yippee! Oh, I don't think I mentioned that I have resorted to wearing Rob's athletic shorts and pj pants. None of my maternity shorts fit anymore. And ROb's pj pants are more comfortable than most of my pants. The waist band doesn't feel like it's cutting into my belly. The scary part is that his pants almost fit me perfectly. My belly is taking up so much room that they are barely too long.
We'll keep everyone updated.