Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Amelia is ONE Month!
2 weeks
Dear Amelia,
This is my first letter to you. I can't believer how fast you are growing! I look at you and feel like you aren't a newborn anymore! Sometimes it makes me a little sad to think of how fast time is going to go by. We have experienced so many "firsts" this last month. Your first shots, your first blowout, your first family outing, your first doctor appointment, your first time going for a walk in the stroller... basically every thing is a first! We are absolutely head over heels inlove with you. Our first 3 weeks we didn't even turn on TV or music. We just stared at you! You are THAT cute.
Some things we adore about you:
-Your cries. I can now tell the difference in your "I'm hungry cry" and the "I'm pushing really really hard" cry. Your dad thinks your cries are just so cute... I am sorry if he doesn't soothe you right away.
-You are the most beautiful baby I have ever seen. You are absolutely perfect and I
-You started holding your head up at just 1 1/2 weeks! You don't have complete control over your noggin, but you love to hold it up and look around. I am a little scared to burp you when you lift your head because you always lift it and look at my face!
-Your dad loves your earlobes. You will probably hear that throughout your life.
-You LOVE bath time.It is your most serene time of day. It doesn't make you tired, but completely content with life.
-You are so content in just looking around and taking in the world around you. You are so enthralled.
-Your facial expressions are so telling. You have such a personality already!
-You eat about every 4 hours at night (so nice!) and about every 2-3 hours during the day. We are still working on getting you to sleep longer at night. Hopefully that comes soon. Your dad is such a big help. He rocks you to sleep every night when we go to bed and then I take the night shift.
-Everyone says you look just like me, but I definitely see your dad's beautiful eyes when I look at you.
-I love your smile. When I give you kisses on your lips you get the biggest open-mouth smile. It melts my heart and I fall in love with you all over again.
-You are quite the cuddle bug. I love waking up with you and feeding you and then just cuddling with your for an hour. Yes, I cuddle you for an hour in the morning and I hope you stay this way for awhile because I LOVE it.
-You make the cutest "O" shape with your mouth. I can't help but kiss it every time! You are going to be overloaded with kisses from your mom and dad when we are done with you!
We are so lucky to be your parents. We were so nervous bringing you into this world, but we can't imagine our life with out you. We fit so perfectly together and you have made us a real family. Thank you for letting us practice our "newbe" parenting skills on you. Hang in there.
We love you so much.
Love, Mom.
Here are some more attempts to photograph a 1 month old who can't sit up.
Don't you just want to kiss her all day!!!
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
2 Weeks
Amelia and I had our 2 week appointments today.
I am doing great. I can start driving and I can lift her carseat into the car now!
I am no longer stuck at home. THANK GOODNESS.
Amelia is doing great too! We were worried she wasn't eating enough because she only eats for 10 minutes at a time... but apparently I shoot milk down her throat because she has gained a whole pound since we have been home!
Her stats--
weight: 8 lbs 4 oz... 58%
height: 21 1/4 inches... 92%
We have a long string bean!
She eats about every 2-3 hours during the day, if I can wake her up! and at night I try to hold her off about every 3 hours.
She has been doing really good and keeping us really busy!
She sleeps ALL day and is wide awake all night. It is really tiring, but we are making it.
It is sooo cute seeing Anthony play with her. She is already a daddy's girl. She follows his voice around the room and stays wide awake for him.
At night she grunts like she is constipated and it makes her cry! It is so sad and she does it all night. I asked the doctor what to do and she didn't really help. She said that Amelia is just getting used to her bodily functions... but it sounds so painful I just cuddle her all night.
She is feeding very well. I seem to be making more milk than she can drink though and I don't know what to do... I have been pumping, but I don't know what to do with all this milk in my fridge and freezer! Any suggestions?
Anthony Graduated!! Woo WHO!
Anthony graduated from BYU!!
He graduated in Business Management with an emphasis in Finance.
I am so proud of him. He worked so hard over the past 4 years.
Now we are off to big adventures in New York!
Monday, April 23, 2012
Amelia Nicole Brown... April 11, 2012
My baby girl is almost 2 weeks old. I decided I should stop hogging her to myself.
Anyways, our baby girl is finally here. I can't believe I am writing this already, because I thought about how it would go for so long. And it wasn't how I thought it would go at all... Sorry if this is long and very detailed... you can skip down to the cute pictures. I just don't want to forget it.
Here is how our baby girl entered our lives.
Monday, April 9: We went to a weenie roast at Grandma Brown's house. My feet and hands started to swell up pretty bad, but we figured that if it hadn't gone away by morning we would call the doctor.
Tuesday, April 10: Woke up and still completely swollen. I sat in bed thinking that this would help. Lying in bed, I realized I wasn't feeling her move. This freaked me out. She was normally quite the acrobat. I called my doctor's office to report my swelling and the lack of movement. They told me to go straight to labor and delivery to check the baby and they would also check the swelling.
I arrived at the hospital about 12:45. They admitted me and put the monitors on my stomach to make sure she was doing fine. I texted Anthony who was freaking out... wanting updates every 5 minutes. They said she was doing fine, but my blood pressure was off the charts. I had been having problems with my blood pressure the last few weeks, and this is what was causing my swelling. They monitored my blood pressure for about 2 hours and the nurse came in and said, "Looks like you are buying your ticket to being induced." Uhh, what?! I thought this was just a routine stress test and they would send me home soon. I texted Anthony and he left work and came right over. Around 5:00 the nurse came in and said the doctor was going to induce me.
I called my mom and they walked me into my laboring room, Room 105. The baby hadn't dropped at all, I wasn't dilated at all, and I was probably 25% thinned. I wasn't really looking forward to long labor ahead of me . I was basically starting at ground zero. The nurse came in about 6:00 and inserted some medication that was supposed to soften my cervix. It had to stay in for 12 hours. After 12 hours, they would start the pitocin.
Wednesday, April 11: Well, the medication started my contractions around midnight. I can't really explain what it felt like, but it hurt... I got no sleep that night. Around 5:00 in the morning the contractions were full blown labor contractions lasting about 20 seconds and were 1-2 minutes apart. I thought for sure I would be at least dilated to a 5 when the nurse came in to check. Well, 6:00 rolled around and she came in. I was at a 0, the baby hadn't dropped and it didn't soften anything! I was basically in labor without any progression.
At 6:30 they started pitocin. They offered an epidural, but I said no. If I would have known the outcome of my delivery, I would have gotten one! This made my contractions very regular. They last about 30-45 seconds and were 1-2 minutes apart. We practiced all of our training. The breathing, the positions, the walking, the relaxation... I am so grateful we took the Lamaze classes. My mom came around 7 and we just waited. The pain was so bad I was in tears, but Anthony was such a strong coach. I would have gotten an epidural if he wasn't there. There is no way I could have done it without him.
At 8:30, the pitocin was being administered at the highest level. The nurse came in. Nothing. Nothing had happened.
9:00 the doctor came in. This wasn't my doctor. My doctor decided to spend Spring Break with his family at home so he was not available all week. The doctor said we had 4 options:
1. C-Section right away.
2. Stay on Pitocin for another 9 hours. See what happens, but probably get a c-section at 6:00 pm.
3. Send me home to labor on my own. But probably get a c-section tomorrow.
4. Start another round of the meds to soften my cervix and see where we are tomorrow, with a 50% chance of having a c-section.
The doc left and let Anthony and I have some time to talk it over.
This was my WORST nightmare coming true. I was planning on going completely natural and not wanting to be all drugged or my baby being drugged. This was so much worse... I started freaking out. Hyperventilating, sobbing...
Once I came to terms with our situation and explored all the outcomes, we decided a C-Section would have to suffice. I am so grateful I went with this option...
9:30: The anesthesiologist came in and asked a bunch of questions, and left. The nurse came and said my real doctor heard what was happening and decided to come do the surgery himself! I was so relieved. I love my doctor and I am so grateful he cared enough to come see me. He knew my birth plan and knew that I was really struggling with what was happening.
10:00: I went into the OR and they gave me a Spinal Block. This made my whole body numb. I have never had surgery so this was really weird. Anthony came in and sat by my head. Then the doctors poured in. Of course Anthony stood up and watched the whole thing...
10:34:
Anyways, our baby girl is finally here. I can't believe I am writing this already, because I thought about how it would go for so long. And it wasn't how I thought it would go at all... Sorry if this is long and very detailed... you can skip down to the cute pictures. I just don't want to forget it.
Here is how our baby girl entered our lives.
Monday, April 9: We went to a weenie roast at Grandma Brown's house. My feet and hands started to swell up pretty bad, but we figured that if it hadn't gone away by morning we would call the doctor.
Tuesday, April 10: Woke up and still completely swollen. I sat in bed thinking that this would help. Lying in bed, I realized I wasn't feeling her move. This freaked me out. She was normally quite the acrobat. I called my doctor's office to report my swelling and the lack of movement. They told me to go straight to labor and delivery to check the baby and they would also check the swelling.
I arrived at the hospital about 12:45. They admitted me and put the monitors on my stomach to make sure she was doing fine. I texted Anthony who was freaking out... wanting updates every 5 minutes. They said she was doing fine, but my blood pressure was off the charts. I had been having problems with my blood pressure the last few weeks, and this is what was causing my swelling. They monitored my blood pressure for about 2 hours and the nurse came in and said, "Looks like you are buying your ticket to being induced." Uhh, what?! I thought this was just a routine stress test and they would send me home soon. I texted Anthony and he left work and came right over. Around 5:00 the nurse came in and said the doctor was going to induce me.
I called my mom and they walked me into my laboring room, Room 105. The baby hadn't dropped at all, I wasn't dilated at all, and I was probably 25% thinned. I wasn't really looking forward to long labor ahead of me . I was basically starting at ground zero. The nurse came in about 6:00 and inserted some medication that was supposed to soften my cervix. It had to stay in for 12 hours. After 12 hours, they would start the pitocin.
Wednesday, April 11: Well, the medication started my contractions around midnight. I can't really explain what it felt like, but it hurt... I got no sleep that night. Around 5:00 in the morning the contractions were full blown labor contractions lasting about 20 seconds and were 1-2 minutes apart. I thought for sure I would be at least dilated to a 5 when the nurse came in to check. Well, 6:00 rolled around and she came in. I was at a 0, the baby hadn't dropped and it didn't soften anything! I was basically in labor without any progression.
At 6:30 they started pitocin. They offered an epidural, but I said no. If I would have known the outcome of my delivery, I would have gotten one! This made my contractions very regular. They last about 30-45 seconds and were 1-2 minutes apart. We practiced all of our training. The breathing, the positions, the walking, the relaxation... I am so grateful we took the Lamaze classes. My mom came around 7 and we just waited. The pain was so bad I was in tears, but Anthony was such a strong coach. I would have gotten an epidural if he wasn't there. There is no way I could have done it without him.
At 8:30, the pitocin was being administered at the highest level. The nurse came in. Nothing. Nothing had happened.
9:00 the doctor came in. This wasn't my doctor. My doctor decided to spend Spring Break with his family at home so he was not available all week. The doctor said we had 4 options:
1. C-Section right away.
2. Stay on Pitocin for another 9 hours. See what happens, but probably get a c-section at 6:00 pm.
3. Send me home to labor on my own. But probably get a c-section tomorrow.
4. Start another round of the meds to soften my cervix and see where we are tomorrow, with a 50% chance of having a c-section.
The doc left and let Anthony and I have some time to talk it over.
This was my WORST nightmare coming true. I was planning on going completely natural and not wanting to be all drugged or my baby being drugged. This was so much worse... I started freaking out. Hyperventilating, sobbing...
Once I came to terms with our situation and explored all the outcomes, we decided a C-Section would have to suffice. I am so grateful I went with this option...
9:30: The anesthesiologist came in and asked a bunch of questions, and left. The nurse came and said my real doctor heard what was happening and decided to come do the surgery himself! I was so relieved. I love my doctor and I am so grateful he cared enough to come see me. He knew my birth plan and knew that I was really struggling with what was happening.
10:00: I went into the OR and they gave me a Spinal Block. This made my whole body numb. I have never had surgery so this was really weird. Anthony came in and sat by my head. Then the doctors poured in. Of course Anthony stood up and watched the whole thing...
10:34:
Amelia Nicole Brown
made her first appearance
7 lbs 10 oz
21 inches
We stayed at the hospital until Sunday. We enjoyed many friends and family. I also loved spending 8 straight days with my amazing husband. I couldn't ask for a better support system.
I know a c-section was not what I planned, but I am very grateful for that option. When she came out, we learned that her cord was prolapsed (the cord was trying to exit before the baby.) If I would have tried vaginally, it would have been an emergency c-section with a lot of scarier possible complications. Her head was also quite large and wouldn't have fit. They found that my hips are very narrow and it just wouldn't have worked out.
Anthony's sexy suit
I look kind of out if it..
My mom and Ron watched from outside.
We had so many visitors. So many people to greet our little angel into this world.
(Sorry if I fell asleep while you were visiting... I was a bit tired)
We are so in love with our baby girl. She fits with us so well and I am so glad she is ours!!
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