Update...

Thanks so much for all of your comments, prayers, encouragement, suggestions, phone calls, emails, etc... I've felt so supported and that has helped a TON! Just to update you - my doctor prescribed a stronger antibiotic and, so far, things seem to be getting better. I've been feeling like myself again, so that's a good sign!!

As far as the engorgement and oversupply of milk issues go, a friend from high school (who has been through exactly the same thing) recommended an awesome website to reference and gave me some good, practical ideas to try. I've been doing that today and it just feels good to have a plan! Hopefully this works!

Just being real

So, I do my best to avoid giving TMI on this blog. I know my dad and father-in-law are among my readers and I like to spare them from some nasty details of my life if possible. :) BUT.. this is also my blog and so today I'm just going to be real. If you don't want to read about boobs, milk supply, clogged milk ducts, pumping, etc... you can just skip right over this baby.

From the time my milk came in with Emma, my body has been way overproducing milk. I mean, we're talking - I pump for 3 minutes and get 5 oz on each side!!!! I've been in pain and felt engorged pretty much the entire time. I've talked to the lactation consultant multiple times and they have told me to pump a little bit for comfort but not to pump too much or my body will continue producing that much milk. It's been a hard balance to figure out and because of that, I often realize I have a painful clogged milk duct. My fear has always been that I'll get mastitis because of this problem. Well, last Wednesday I did. I had been out and about all day - playgroup, errands, going for a walk, etc.. and then all of the sudden, I felt miserable. I was freezing and shivering, my boob was on fire, I felt like I was going to pass out, etc... I somehow suffered through the last hour before Justin got home from work. Someone had brought us diner that night (thanks, Amanda!!), so we sat down to eat and I couldn't even concentrate on eating. I told Justin I needed to go take a nap. On my way down the stairs, it hit me. I realized that all of these symptoms sounded exactly like the way my friend Lindsey described mastitis, which she had a few months before. I called her and told her my symptoms and she said to go to urgent care immediately. So, I did and they diagnosed me with mastitis and gave me some antibiotics. The next 24 hours were about the most miserable of my life. Just to give you some perspective - Lindsey gave birth with no drugs and said the pain from mastitis was way worse than that! So, I'm not just being a big baby here. :)

By Friday morning, I was feeling perfect again and totally back to normal. Yay.. drama over, right?! My only issue at this point was not being sure how my body was going to ever regulate my milk supply, because they told me now to pump and nurse as much as possible to get rid of the infection.

Anyway, I'd been feeling fine but this morning I woke up with another massive clogged duct in a different place. I called the lactation consultant again, who gave me the same advice - pump but not too much. Well.. how do I know what too much is?! She also said, "Well, at least if you have to give up nursing because of this issue, you'll have lots of milk in the freezer." HUH?! I thought lactation consultants never mention giving up on nursing!! Thanks for the encouragement...

Around noon today, I suddenly felt exhausted again and went to take a nap, since the girls were sleeping. I was laying in bed and realized I was freezing and shivering again. Took the temp... 101.3. I just started to cry, realizing I have another infection. I'm waiting for the doctor to call back to tell me what to do.

I'm feeling so discouraged and frustrated. I don't know how I can continue to nurse if this problem keeps happening. Mastitis totally knocks you out and I am not capable of taking care of my two children on my own when this happens. Thank the Lord for friends like Lindsey!! She picked up Claire last time I got it and she came and got her again this afternoon. Of course her generosity made me cry, too.

Anyone deal with mastitis twice in one week? How do you get your body to stop making so much milk without getting mastitis? HELP!!!!!!!!

Besties

Emma hanging out with her new BFF Nora. This is the start of a great friendship, don't ya think?? :)

I love fall

Fall is my MOST favorite time of year! Apple cider, pumpkin spice lattes, fleece jackets, crisp air, blue sky, pumpkin bars, football, fall colors.... I love it all!!

There are so many things Justin and I love doing in the fall - going to the apple orchard, camping, pumpkin patches, breakfast in Amana, etc... This past Sunday was the perfect day for a trip to the apple orchard and we had a great time!

Claire was all about it and loved carrying the bucket. The ground is kind of uneven in some places so I kept asking if she wanted me to carry her but she always said, "No carry. Me walk." Ooookay!!

She was thrilled when we finally made our way to the apple trees and dug right in!! I vividly remember when we went last year and she didn't even have teeth yet! My, how they change in a year!!

Emma, along for the ride. She was a good girl and slept through the whole thing! :)

We got a ride back after picking our apples. This was Claire's favorite part.. she kept saying, "I luff it!" (aka I LOVE it.)

She wanted to hold Emma's hand. :)

Our family of four!!

Can't wait to go back! It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

I-O-W-A!!

Yay... football season!! Claire was so excited to cheer on the Hawkeyes!! Here she is practicing her moves. Goooo IOWA!!

Sistas

Having a sister is one of the best things in life. Can't wait for these girls to grow up together and enjoy the gift of being sisters!!

2 weeks!

Emma turned 2 weeks old yesterday! I had to take her in for her 2 week check up. Her appointment was at 8:45, so I had to work hard to get us all ready and head out to be on time for the appointment. Justin was able to help before he headed off to work. This was my first outing alone with both girls and it went well. We were even 7 minutes early for the appointment! :)

The appointment went well. Emma weighed 9 lbs, 10.5 oz (92nd percentile), so she has surpassed her birth weight. I can't believe she's already almost 10 pounds!! I think it took Claire the first 2 months to get that big. They measured her at 22 3/4 inches (off the charts)! At first I was annoyed, thinking they had measured her wrong, since she was 21 inches when she was born. They can't possibly grow 1 3/4 inches in 2 weeks!! But when I told Justin, he said he thinks they measured her wrong in the hospital. He was there watching while they took all of her measurements and he said that they didn't stretch her legs all the way out, so maybe she IS that long!! That would explain my crazy rib pain while I was pregnant!

While we were still in the hospital, the doctor heard a heart murmur in Emma. Claire had a murmur, too, and it ended up being because of her heart defect - both an ASD and VSD. When they heard the murmur in Emma, I was thinking she probably had the same defect. Well, the best news about the appointment is that they could no longer hear the murmur... yay!!!

Overall, she's doing great! Oh, and just so you aren't all jealous that I have this awesome newborn who sleeps all the time, I spoke too soon about her being a great sleeper. Although she has occasionally done a 5 or even 6 hour stretch at night, lately she's been up every 3 hours to nurse. So much for awesome sleep for this mama!! I'm trying to enjoy it as much as I can - I know it doesn't last long and someday I'll miss this sweet newborn stage!

August 19, 2010

Justin did a great job of keeping delivery notes during Emma's birth. On her two week bday, I thought I'd post the whole story, play by play.


The day started off like this:

Can you say HUGE?! I don't feel quite as bad that I was this huge now, though, knowing that Emma was over 9 lbs. But still, I was huge.


Here's the timeline of events:

8:00 am - We get to the hospital and check into our labor room. Mild contractions already happening.

9:10 am - Dr. Wenzel arrives and checks me - I'm 3 cm dilated and 90% effaced. She breaks my water.

9:25 am - They start pitocin.

9:57 am - Contractions start to get more intense - 4 1/2 mins apart.

10:20 am - Contractions are 3 mins apart.

10:50 am - Contractions much stronger now (80 vs 30-40 earlier) and 2 mins apart. Epidural is put it.

11:10 am - 4 cm dilated

12:01 pm - Internal monitor put in and still 4 cm dilated.

1:16 pm - 7 cm dilated

1:43 pm - Dr. Wenzel comes in and asks, "Is it time to have a baby yet??" Checks me - 8-9 cm dilated - and says, "We're close but not quite." They also confirm that baby is face up. Put me on oxygen because baby's heartbeat is a little irregular.

2:00 pm - Epidural had worn off on my right side only, I was in tons of pain so they added more to the epidural. My left side is now completely numb and without feeling but I was still totally feeling things on the right side.

2:21 pm - Dr. Wenzel comes in to check me and says, "This baby is falling out."

2:30 pm - Started pushing - Dr. Wenzel turns the baby face down during my first push.

2:38 pm - Emma Annette is born! 9 lbs, 3 oz and 21 inches

Wow, what a day!!!

Perspective

I know this post left many of you very disturbed over the sight of my gigantically swollen ankles. Remember these?!

Well, I am pleased to share that the ankles are back to normal (although the toe is still broken). So nice to see those ankle bones again!!

Grandma & Grandpa Visit

Emma got to meet her Grandma and Grandpa this past weekend. They came on Sunday after church for a visit. We had a yummy lunch together and enjoyed spending a couple of hours together.

Thanks for coming to visit, Grandma & Grandpa!!