Day #3 - Coming Home

Day #2

Good Morning!

Go Blackhawks!

Lila's Birth Story

So Lila Marie decided to start her entrance to meeting her amazing parents the night before her scheduled induction. Saturday started out at Ina's for breakfast with my mom, Mary, Mary, Jess, Mike, & Hope. When we walked in, Mary HT proceed to tell the owner, Ina, that I was 6 days overdue. She proceed to tell me to eat the gingerbread pancakes and a half order of veggie hash. I did just that.

My contractions started later in the day and only continued to get more regular and stronger. Mike and I went out to Wildfire for a date night, but I really didn't have much of an appetite. We made it home before the Blackhawks game (Mike was excited) and I started timing the contractions. About 2 hours later, with my contractions about 8 minutes apart, I called Dr. Ashby and told her the good news. I also told her I think my water had broken, but I wasn't sure. She said it sounded like I was in labor, and to head to the hospital when the contractions got really painful, or whenever I started to feel uncomfortable (and to wait for the Blackhawks game was over so Mike could finish watching it). Mike and I stayed at home until the end of the Blackhawks game then hung out for awhile. When my mom said I was getting "testy" with Mike, we decided it was time to head to the hospital. We went in around 11:15 p.m.

Once I got to the hospital, I got checked in and hooked up to a monitor. I wasn't crazy, my contractions were regular and pretty strong. They notified the attending doctor who then came in to check on my progress. I was 4 cm dilated and 75% effaced. They asked if I wanted an epidural, and I said, "yes please". The nurse said that if I planned on getting one, to do it now so I could get some sleep because I would need my energy for the approximately 1-3 hours that I would be pushing, like most first time moms. I was a little nervous about doing it so early, but the contractions were getting painful so I got it. I was shaking the entire time, but to be honest, the contractions hurt more than the epidural did. The nurse I had was great and talked me through the whole thing. Mike had to sit in a corner of the room with a mask on for this medical procedure. I was wishing I was able to squeeze his hand, however it didn't get to work out that way... I just kept my focus on him.

Once the epidural was in, my legs started to feel numb. They became very heavy and hard to move. I got a catheter, since I wasn't allowed to get out of bed. I had to lay on my side, which was pretty comfy except when I had to flip since I couldn't feel anything from my waist down. My contractions slowed down once I was given the epidural, so I received Pitocin to help speed them up. My job was to then just rest, which was easy. Libby and my mom arrived at the hospital first, prepared to be there for the long haul. Not long after, Mike, Julie, and Kari arrived with coffee and treats... sadly, none for me. Everyone visited for a bit, but then proceeded to the atrium waiting area so Mike and I could get some rest. More and more visitors showed up... Elyse getting a speeding ticket, Ben and Jess, and my Dad came with Starbucks and treats to recharge everyone. At. 7:00 a.m. the resident came to check me again. I was 6 cm dilated and 90% effaced. The baby's head was also pretty high up still, but was good for how much I was dilated. I was starting to feel contractions again painfully, so they gave me another dose of whatever in my epidural. I thought my legs were numb before, but boy were they lifeless now. They upped my Pitocin a little bit more and I continued to rest.

Around 9:00 a.m., I started feeling a lot of pressure. It wasn't pain, but pressure. I alerted my nurse and she said that it was normal. The pressure kept getting stronger and stronger... I kept mentioning it to the nurse every time she came in, and she would just reply how it was normal. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the resident came in to check me. Her check was very simple, upon looking, she said that I was 10 cm. dilated, 100% effaced, and the baby was +2, which meant I was ready to push! She was going to call Dr. Ashby and we were going to have a baby! I started to get nervous about the pushing, which I was scared about along with the epidural all along. Mike started straightening up our room and we told our visitors (which continued to grow with Matt, Kathy, & Grandma) that the room was closed until Mike gave everyone the all clear. It was important to Mike and I that we were the only ones in the room for the start of our family.

Dr. Ashby arrived and told Mike and I she was excited to see us and that we needed to do a "practice push". She started breaking down the bed, told Mike to hold one of my legs and she was going to hold the other one. She told me to take a deep breath and to push along with one of my contractions. I told her I was having one now, and she said then go ahead and push. I started pushing as hard as I could, and then Dr. Ashby told me to stop. The baby's head was crowning and we needed to get the nurses in here so we could deliver that baby! Dr. Ashby told Mike to look and sure enough, he could see her head! Once the nurses arrived quickly, I started pushing with one of my contractions. Out came her head. One more push a few seconds later and Lila Marie was here! I couldn't believe how instantly the pressure had disappeared and how beautiful this little person was! The nurses took her to the scale and the warmer and Mike followed. I watched as they weighed her and gave her Apgar scores of 9 & 9 - which is really good. Her color was amazing for a newborn! They continued to clean her off and then gave her to Mike. Dr. Ashby continued to work on me, as I needed a three stitches because I tore a little bit. Dr. Ashby asked what her name was going to be and Mike proudly announced, Lila Marie. They brought her over to me and I got to hold her. I couldn't believe after 9 months I was finally meeting our little girl!

Lila weighed 8 lbs. 10 oz and was 20 in long. She has beautiful blue eyes and a head of blonde hair. We couldn't be more excited about our little girl, and we know we're not the only ones! I'm going to continue to update the blog, hopefully more often with pictures, and writing hopefully once a week.

I hope you enjoy reading about our journey with Lila!

She's Here

I'll be working on my blog post for the week tomorrow (once we get home from the hospital), which will include our birth story. Stay tuned!

Still waiting...

40 weeks and 3 days - very anxious!

So today is Thursday, making me 40 weeks and 3 days pregnant. I would of never thought that we'd be still waiting to meet our little princess!!!

Just for an update... Currently I'm 3 1/2 cm. dilated and 75% effaced... which apparently is pretty close I'm told. At this point, I'll believe it when I see it. The baby is very happy on the inside and has a lot of amniotic fluid and a healthy looking placenta. She's still moving around, which is a lot more visible from the outside.

We are scheduled for a "medically necessary" induction on Sunday with Dr. Ashby - our favorite - unless Baby Girl Schaab decides to come before then. Originally we thought I'd be induced on Friday, however, I guess it doesn't become medically necessary until Sunday - so SUNDAY it is. We don't know what time yet either, as the hospital will call patients starting at 6:30 a.m. telling them what time to come in. Dr. Ashby says though, once she schedules a medically necessary induction, they have to do it on that day... so Sunday might be it - however we'd welcome her anytime.

Since I started maternity leave on Monday I've been hanging out a lot with Mimi B and her buddies, including Wrigley and Uncle Caymus. Today I'm getting my nails done which is pretty exciting... and I'm going to continue to work on my online grad class to get ahead. Very exciting stuff! I never thought I'd be on leave without a baby!

I promise, once there's news that I'm in labor, we'll share.

As for now, no news is just that... no news.

40 weeks and 2 days

40 weeks and 2 days

VPW = Very Pregnant Woman

May 24, 2010

May 24, 2010

May 18, 2010

Happy Due Date...

Well, May 24th is here... however as of this morning, BGS is not.

People keep telling me how "ready" I look and how my belly has dropped, but apparently, Baby Girl Schaab isn't ready yet. After my appointment with Dr. Ashby on Wednesday, we determined that I'm still 2 centimeters dilated and now 70% effaced. The baby is measuring perfectly healthy and is still happy inside! Dr. Ashby assures me that she is just perfect - also in the head down position! Since today's my due date, I have an appointment with Dr. Ashby at 9:00 a.m. She'll do another internal exam and if there's no progress, she'll strip my membranes. Stripping my membranes you might ask? My mom things the definition is a little graphic (it's not that bad), so if you're interested, click here. Once you're on the article, details are on page 2.

As the definitions implies, this works for some women, not all. We'll schedule an induction for later in the week if this procedure doesn't make it happen. Mike and I are more than ready to meet our little girl and I'm getting super uncomfortable - especially with the heat! I'm also officially on maternity leave, so I'm no longer working! :) It's exciting to start my summer but even more exciting when the reason why I get to start early gets here!

The American Pregnancy Association has this to say about Week 40:

Your baby’s bones have become hard, with the exception of his/her skull. The bones in the skull need to remain soft and pliable for delivery so that they can overlap as they pass through the birth canal. Because a newborn’s skull is designed this way, your baby’s head may have a cone appearance for the first several days of life. Your baby will actually have two soft spots, or fontanelles, on his/her head which allow for an easier delivery. The front fontanelle will become hard between the eighth and fifteenth month of life. The back fontanelle becomes hard between the third and fourth month.

Your baby should be between 19 and 21 inches long and weigh anywhere from 6 ¾ to 10 pounds.

How far along? 40 weeks

Total weight gain: 28 pounds

Maternity Clothes: YES!!! Sundresses work the best since my belly hangs so low.

Sleep: Is so uncomfortable. My belly is so heavy and getting up in the middle of the night is a challenge... especially falling back asleep. Usually, I end up being wide awake at 4:30 a.m.

Best Moment this Week: Making a plan with Dr. Ashby if labor doesn't start by itself.

Movement: Her movements have slowed down somewhat painful... We're starting to see a lot more baby "parts" sticking out of my belly - I know she's cramped in there - we keep telling her she'll have more room to move around if she comes out!

Food Cravings: Culver's Frozen Custard

Gender: GIRL

Labor Signs: Contractions. I'm also dilated to 2cm and I'm 70% effaced. We might of done a little bit of nesting yesterday as well.

Belly Button in or out? Flat - not popped out but flat.

What I miss: Sleeping comfortably.

Milestones: I've made it to 40 weeks.


What I'm looking forward to: THE BABY COMING! We can't WAIT to MEET HER!!! :)