I should have known that it would take me 3 months to post on my blog again! For some reason, I never have the discipline that is required to keep us with certain things in life, even things that I enjoy like journaling/blogging. Needless to say, the past 3 months have been AMAZING!! This is not to say that I haven't had my fair share of stressful and difficult times, but Jacob makes it all worth it :).
The second part of the birth story that I was going to write about is pretty short, especially since I'm sure I don't remember all the details 3 months later! We were treated very well during our stay in the hospital. The nurses were very helpful and some of my favorite times were doing "skin to skin" with Jacob. It was great bonding time and was so incredibly peaceful! On your last night in the hospital, you are served a Celebratory Dinner which is steak, lobster, sides, and a delicious chocolate cake. Sadly, while we were having our dinner, Jacob was getting circumcised :(. I am so glad that it was done in the nursery and that they gave him time to soothe before bringing him back to our room. Funny side story...right during the middle of our "date," the toilet in our bathroom started flushing on its own and going crazy, getting water everywhere! We had to call the desk and housekeeping/maintenance had to come in and interrupt our date to fix the problem. It made for a funny memory! We didn't get much sleep that night because Jacob was pretty fussy, waking up a lot. We were told that we needed to be completely ready by 11 am so that we could be discharged quickly. We were up and ready in plenty of time, but unfortunately, we had to wait for hours for a doctor to come discharge me! The worst part of it all was that Tim got very sick and spent most of the morning with his head over the toilet. I think he just got so worn down with lack of sleep that it made him a bit sick. It actually took him about 3 days to get better. The whole time we were waiting on a doctor for me, we were noticing that the weather was starting to get stormy. Steve and Karin flew in that morning and came by the hospital to meet Jacob before going to our house to wait on us. By the time the doctor came and discharged me, we were under a tornado warning and were starting to hear the sirens outside. My nurse was awesome! She knew how badly I was ready to get out of there and go home that she was practically running while pushing me in the wheelchair down the hall! She quickly got Jacob's security bands removed and got us to the front door. She told us that they were starting to take all patients to the OR to take cover and she wanted to help me get out if I could. Tim ran in the pouring down rain to get the car. Jacob and I got in the backseat and Tim got us home as quickly as he could. The sky was so dark and it was hard to see through all of the rain. Thankfully, we made it home safe and sound! Our first night home we celebrated my mom's birthday with a lasagne dinner and watched OU play football...a great evening!
Since that night, we have had so much fun with our little boy! He had a great first Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day (which I won't recount here)! I am so glad that I have been able to stay home with him these past 3 months. I have literally been just sick about going back to work. I just look at his sweet face and cry about being away from him all day. I was so depressed last week. I know he will be ok (and I will too eventually!), but it is even harder than I imagined. I desperately hope that I will be able to stay at home with him at some point. I don't know if I'm the only one to feel this way, but last week I had a few rough days with Jacob. I realized that I haven't had a "day off" since he was born and I was just tired and in need of some "me" time. I was feeling so guilty about feeling this way that I didn't even want to verbalize it. I didn't want anyone to think that I was saying that I want to go back to work or have time away from Jacob. I don't! I just realized that I also need to make time for me every now and then. Tim and I are planning on going on a date this coming weekend, our first since Jacob's birth. I think it will be good for us! I'm not only sad about being away from Jacob, but I'm overwhelmed with all that is required of me at work. Being a teacher is a hard job, especially if you care and want to be good at your job. I'm worried about how I will strike a balance between my home and work life. Obviously, Tim and Jacob come first, but I am such a perfectionist when it comes to my job. Tomorrow was supposed to be my first day back, but a huge ice storm hit the DFW area overnight last night and school was cancelled for today and tomorrow. Tim got to stay home today and he's off tomorrow too since he was scheduled to take care of Jacob. It's nice to spend time together these few days!
The latest with Jacob...he has really strong neck muscles and is doing a good job of holding his head up. He smiles a LOT and we've heard him giggle, although not consistently. He loves to kick his legs and move his arms, especially when he's in his bouncy seat or lying on his activity gym. He recently discovered his hands and he tries to eat them. He has been drooling a lot lately and also starting to "talk" to us with his little grunts. He can now grab onto some things and his favorite thing to grab is my shirt! He even tries to pull it down sometimes! Jacob absolutely LOVES bathtime! He gets so active in the bath. Sometimes I'm afraid he's going to hurt himself kicking so hard. He gets really upset with us when we take him out of the water, but soon after he is relaxed and ready for bed. He currently takes a 5 ounce bottle and eats about 30 ounces/day. He has gotten much better at sleeping, although he still does not nap for very long. Jacob usually stays awake for about 2 hours before he gets cranky and needs a nap, but his naps only last for about 30 minutes. He started sleeping in his crib right after the holidays and does a really good job when he is swaddled (although he hated to be swaddled in the beginning). He usually goes to bed between 9 and 11 and will sleep until sometime between 4 and 6. He takes a bottle and goes back to bed for a few hours before he's up for the day. I think he is doing great! At his 2 month appointment, he weighed 11.5 pounds and was 23.75 inches. We go in for his 4 month appointment on February 23rd and I'm anxious to see how much he has grown!
Well, that's all I'm going to write for now, but hopefully I will post more soon!
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Monday, November 01, 2010
Jacob's Birth Story (Part 1)
**This story is very long and detailed (and might possibly be TMI), but I wrote it so that I can always remember the birth of my first baby!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
The morning of Tuesday, October 19, 2010 started out a bit hectic for me. At some point in the night, my battery-operated alarm clock died. These sorts of things never seem to happen during the day! Tim woke me up at 7:00 a.m., which gave me 20 minutes to shower and get ready before needing to leave for work. I left for work with only part of my make-up on and my hair was still damp. Thankfully, I got to work right on time, but my students were already lined up at the door wondering if I’d gone to the hospital. The rest of the day flew by because I had so much teaching to do and I had to leave early for my 39 week OB appointment. At 2:15 I frantically tried to grab everything I needed for the evening (i.e., papers to grade, lessons to prepare for, grades to enter for progress reports) and I sent my students to the other teachers’ classrooms. I arrived at my Craig Ranch OBGYN right on time and they got me right in. My feet and legs were still extremely swollen and my blood pressure was high at 143/94. I told the nurse that I had been having a terrible headache off and on for 6 days and that over the weekend I had seen some tiny black spots in my vision. The nurse checked Jacob’s heartrate and he was doing great, as usual. When Dr. Robert came in, she examined me and determined that I was still only about 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. She told me that she was concerned about my symptoms of preeclampsyia and would like for me to go on to the hospital for some lab work and observation. If everything came back looking good, she wanted me to be on bed rest and if it didn’t look good, she suggested that we go ahead and induce. I was already scheduled to be induced on Monday, October 25 if Jacob didn’t arrive by then.
I was disappointed and a bit nervous that Dr. Shimer would be delivering him on that day. He’s an excellent doctor, but I definitely feel more comfortable with a female and especially with Dr. Robert. Dr. Robert told me that it was an option for me to decide to go ahead and induce that evening since I was already 39.5 weeks along and Jacob was measuring 40.5 weeks. She would be the one to deliver if he came between 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday and 8:00 a.m. on Thursday and if he came sooner, it would be Dr. Heather Sloan who I also really like. This was a lot to take in and I told her that I wanted to discuss my options with Tim. She completely agreed and told me to go on to the hospital and that Tim and I could let them know our decision once we arrived at the hospital. I knew that Jacob would be arriving soon, but the fact that we had a major decision to make and that I could potentially be having him that evening stunned me! As soon as I left the office, I immediately called Tim with the news. He said that he would wrap things up at work and would meet me at home so we could get everything packed, just in case we wouldn’t be coming home. I then called my mom to fill her in on what was about to happen. It was about 3:15 p.m. at this point and I was bummed that I was going to miss my 4:00 haircut appointment. When I mentioned this to my mom, she said she would go ahead and get the haircut since it wasn’t an emergency that I get to the hospital. The more I thought about it, the more I agreed with the idea! Tim was home shortly and as soon as we had everything packed, he drove me to get my haircut. A girl’s got to look good going into delivery! Laura, my stylist, loved that I came to my appointment on the way to the hospital. They couldn’t believe how calm I was, but I assured them that I was just in shock and denial! After I got my hair cut and styled, Tim and I discussed whether or not we should stop and get food on the way to the hospital. Since I was just going in for labs and observation, we decided that he could always run down the street and get us dinner, so we didn’t stop…bad decision! We arrived at Baylor Medical Center Frisco at around 5:15 and checked in at Labor and Delivery. A nurse escorted us to Labor and Delivery Room 3 and had me change into a hospital gown. She checked my vitals and also drew blood for lab work. Unfortunately, the hospital had not received any orders from my doctor’s office so they had to call to get further instructions. Without even waiting for the results of my lab work, Dr. Robert asked them to go ahead and admit me so they could get started with the induction. I’m not sure how this all happened, but I felt better knowing she would be my doctor. Of course, I kept asking if I was going to be able to get dinner…food is always a priority for me! The nurses said they didn’t think it would be a problem but that they would have to get back to me. Even though they had already drawn blood for lab work, they had to redraw blood and put in an IV lock. The nurses did a horrible job trying to locate my veins! No one has ever had trouble on me before, but they simply could not get the needle in. They kept saying that my veins were rolling or that they blew, which is possible since my blood pressure was so high, but eventually they had to call for the anesthesiologist to put in my IV lock because they had given up. They tried in 6 different places and several times in each of those places!! Thank goodness they were using Lidocaine so it wasn’t hurting me too much! Since the nurses were afraid that they would lose the line, they went ahead and started to give me fluids. I soon found out that I would not be getting any more food. I was going to be limited to ice chips and popsicles until baby Jacob was born (almost 41 hours after my peanut butter and jelly sandwich I’d eaten at school for lunch!)!
At 7:00 p.m., it was time to start the induction process. My nurse, Amanda, came in to start me on Cervidil. She had to place the Cervidil up next to my cervix and needless to say, it was an incredibly painful procedure. Once the Cervidil was in place, we had to wait 12 hours to see how my cervix would change. She checked on me throughout the evening and while visiting with her, we realized that we had a ton of friends in common! She and her husband went to Oklahoma Christian and graduated a year ahead of me so she knew a lot of people that I grew up with in OKC. What a small world! I felt like it was a God moment to put her there for me…just knowing our connection helped me relax a bit.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Before the shift change at 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Amanda came in, removed the Cervidil, and checked my cervix. I was still dilated only 1cm, but had effaced quite significantly. Because the Cervidil had not helped me dilate, my doctor ordered for me to receive Cytotec, another “ripening agent.” Cytotec is a small pill that is placed next to the cervix and often, it can start contractions without even needing Pitocin. I must say, out of all the pain I felt through my entire labor and delivery process, the placement of this pill was by far the worst! Cervidil makes the cervix very sore and sensitive and the Cytotec has to be placed inside with very little gel. I was nearly screaming and was crying due to the pain I felt! I know Tim hated to watch me go through that. I told him that I just wanted to forget the whole induction and go home because I didn’t feel like I could go through with it after that. Luckily, the worst, as far as pain was concerned, was over! My nurse at this point was Jamie and she was awesome! I was so embarrassed and felt defeated, but she was very encouraging and helped me feel that what I was feeling and experiencing was very normal.
At noon, my doctor ordered for me to be put on Pitocin to get the contractions moving along. I definitely started feeling them more and more and was excited that things were getting going! Jamie came in shortly after starting the Pitocin to let me know that Dr. Robert would be coming within an hour or two to break my water. I asked her how painful that procedure was and she told me that to be truthful, it was one of the more painful procedures. I was really not looking forward to having another experience like I’d already had! Because Dr. Robert was extremely busy on this day, she did not make it within a few hours. In fact, it felt like I waited on her all day! Jamie checked with Dr. Robert to see if it was possible for me to receive my epidural before she came by to break my water and Dr. Robert agreed. Jamie had to check my cervix before the anesthesiologist could come and it was no longer painful since I had been making progress! When she checked it was around 5:00 p.m. and I was between 3 and 4cm dilated. The nurse anesthetist arrived and she was wonderful! She explained everything to me in great detail and I felt like that process was easy and painless. My biggest concern was that my epidural would wear off before time to push, but she explained that it wouldn’t because it was a drip through my IV. Within a few minutes, I was feeling great! I could still feel my legs and toes, but they were tingly and there was no pain. Everyone kept laughing because they were watching my monitor and telling me that I’d just had a huge contraction but I didn’t feel a thing!
I was very sad to see Jamie leave, especially after meeting my next nurse Jessica. She was terrible! She didn’t come in and introduce herself when she started her shift and after I finally met her, she would disappear for several hours even after telling me that she’d be right back with something. We were frustrated with her and also a bit frustrated that Dr. Robert still hadn’t arrived and it had been 7 hours! Shortly after 7:00 p.m., Dr. Robert arrived and came in to break my water. She told me that I was dilated to 7cm and almost to 8! She also discovered that there was meconium in the amniotic fluid. Dr. Robert had to leave again to go to another hospital, but was going to be back shortly. I’m sure Jessica checked my cervix several times before this, but I remember that around 10:00 p.m., I was almost to 10cm! She said that there was just a tiny bit of rim left to go. I slept a lot throughout the day due to some Flexeril I had been given for my headache and neck pain and this helped the time go by quicker. At some point in the evening, Jessica had me lying on my sides with one leg raised to get the epidural to spread evenly and also to make sure Jacob’s head was turned correctly. I woke up with significant pain in part of my back and was feeling contractions in that area, so the nurse anesthetist was called back in and she gave me a boost to help ensure the medicine was covering all areas. Unfortunately, that made me go completely numb from the waist down and I had no control over my legs! In fact, my leg kept sliding out of the raised part and my mom had to keep trying to lift the dead weight. Luckily, the complete numbness wore off before time to push so I could feel where the pressure was.
At 11:30 p.m., Jessica wanted me to do some pushing to see if that would help me get to a full 10cm. It didn’t seem to help. I had been hoping all along that Jacob would be born on 10-20-2010, but was starting to get discouraged that he wouldn’t make it in time and sure enough, he didn’t.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
I continued to rest while my contractions got stronger and stronger. We started to think that he might be born in the 3:00 hour of the morning since both Tim and I were born at that time. Around 3:30 a.m. Jessica told me that it was time to start pushing. My mom, Tim and Val were all in the delivery room taking turns helping me with my legs. I never thought I would, but I decided to use the mirror and it was so cool watching him progress through the birth canal as I pushed my little heart out! I pushed for exactly one hour and on my last push, I almost pushed his head all the way out. Jessica had to put her hand on his head to keep him in place and she told me to hang on while she called for my doctor and the nursery staff to join us ASAP! My doctor had been in another room sleeping, so she had to put her contacts in and soon my room was filled with lots of hospital staff. I couldn’t believe that I just had to wait when I was feeling so much pressure and wanted to push! In the meantime, Dr. Robert talked to Tim and they both got ready for the grand finale. Finally, she had me push and once she got his head out, it was Tim’s turn to deliver the rest of him and cut the umbilical cord. He came out very calm and opened his eyes really big to check out the world! I was overcome with tears of joy! Jacob Ryan Kerby was born at 4:43 a.m. weighing 8lbs. 8.5oz. and was 21.75 in. long!
I had been told that he would be immediately put on my chest after delivery, but this wasn’t the case. As soon as his cord was cut, the nursery staff took him to get suctioned and checked out. I guess this was standard since the meconium was already in the fluid and they needed to get everything out so he didn’t get pneumonia. They were also a bit worried that he wasn’t crying, but his Apgar scores were good! While he was being attended to, Dr. Robert was working hard to help me deliver the placenta and this took a while. Finally, she had sown me up and was finished with me. Tim had been holding Jacob the whole time just like a proud Daddy would, but I was ready for my turn. I finally got to hold my baby at 5:15 a.m. and I thought (and still do!) that he was the most beautiful baby I’d ever seen, even with his major conehead! I had been asking when I could have food and a Dr. Pepper and she said as soon as she was finished with me. Val was standing ready with my Dr. Pepper and then she went on a food run to get me some biscuits from McDonald’s. Food had never tasted so good! My nurse Jessica had turned out to be a great help during the delivery process and she stayed with us past her shift to get us situated into our postpartum room (259) at around 7:30 a.m. The rest of our stay at the hospital was great. We had some excellent nurses, both for me and for Jacob!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
The morning of Tuesday, October 19, 2010 started out a bit hectic for me. At some point in the night, my battery-operated alarm clock died. These sorts of things never seem to happen during the day! Tim woke me up at 7:00 a.m., which gave me 20 minutes to shower and get ready before needing to leave for work. I left for work with only part of my make-up on and my hair was still damp. Thankfully, I got to work right on time, but my students were already lined up at the door wondering if I’d gone to the hospital. The rest of the day flew by because I had so much teaching to do and I had to leave early for my 39 week OB appointment. At 2:15 I frantically tried to grab everything I needed for the evening (i.e., papers to grade, lessons to prepare for, grades to enter for progress reports) and I sent my students to the other teachers’ classrooms. I arrived at my Craig Ranch OBGYN right on time and they got me right in. My feet and legs were still extremely swollen and my blood pressure was high at 143/94. I told the nurse that I had been having a terrible headache off and on for 6 days and that over the weekend I had seen some tiny black spots in my vision. The nurse checked Jacob’s heartrate and he was doing great, as usual. When Dr. Robert came in, she examined me and determined that I was still only about 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. She told me that she was concerned about my symptoms of preeclampsyia and would like for me to go on to the hospital for some lab work and observation. If everything came back looking good, she wanted me to be on bed rest and if it didn’t look good, she suggested that we go ahead and induce. I was already scheduled to be induced on Monday, October 25 if Jacob didn’t arrive by then.
I was disappointed and a bit nervous that Dr. Shimer would be delivering him on that day. He’s an excellent doctor, but I definitely feel more comfortable with a female and especially with Dr. Robert. Dr. Robert told me that it was an option for me to decide to go ahead and induce that evening since I was already 39.5 weeks along and Jacob was measuring 40.5 weeks. She would be the one to deliver if he came between 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday and 8:00 a.m. on Thursday and if he came sooner, it would be Dr. Heather Sloan who I also really like. This was a lot to take in and I told her that I wanted to discuss my options with Tim. She completely agreed and told me to go on to the hospital and that Tim and I could let them know our decision once we arrived at the hospital. I knew that Jacob would be arriving soon, but the fact that we had a major decision to make and that I could potentially be having him that evening stunned me! As soon as I left the office, I immediately called Tim with the news. He said that he would wrap things up at work and would meet me at home so we could get everything packed, just in case we wouldn’t be coming home. I then called my mom to fill her in on what was about to happen. It was about 3:15 p.m. at this point and I was bummed that I was going to miss my 4:00 haircut appointment. When I mentioned this to my mom, she said she would go ahead and get the haircut since it wasn’t an emergency that I get to the hospital. The more I thought about it, the more I agreed with the idea! Tim was home shortly and as soon as we had everything packed, he drove me to get my haircut. A girl’s got to look good going into delivery! Laura, my stylist, loved that I came to my appointment on the way to the hospital. They couldn’t believe how calm I was, but I assured them that I was just in shock and denial! After I got my hair cut and styled, Tim and I discussed whether or not we should stop and get food on the way to the hospital. Since I was just going in for labs and observation, we decided that he could always run down the street and get us dinner, so we didn’t stop…bad decision! We arrived at Baylor Medical Center Frisco at around 5:15 and checked in at Labor and Delivery. A nurse escorted us to Labor and Delivery Room 3 and had me change into a hospital gown. She checked my vitals and also drew blood for lab work. Unfortunately, the hospital had not received any orders from my doctor’s office so they had to call to get further instructions. Without even waiting for the results of my lab work, Dr. Robert asked them to go ahead and admit me so they could get started with the induction. I’m not sure how this all happened, but I felt better knowing she would be my doctor. Of course, I kept asking if I was going to be able to get dinner…food is always a priority for me! The nurses said they didn’t think it would be a problem but that they would have to get back to me. Even though they had already drawn blood for lab work, they had to redraw blood and put in an IV lock. The nurses did a horrible job trying to locate my veins! No one has ever had trouble on me before, but they simply could not get the needle in. They kept saying that my veins were rolling or that they blew, which is possible since my blood pressure was so high, but eventually they had to call for the anesthesiologist to put in my IV lock because they had given up. They tried in 6 different places and several times in each of those places!! Thank goodness they were using Lidocaine so it wasn’t hurting me too much! Since the nurses were afraid that they would lose the line, they went ahead and started to give me fluids. I soon found out that I would not be getting any more food. I was going to be limited to ice chips and popsicles until baby Jacob was born (almost 41 hours after my peanut butter and jelly sandwich I’d eaten at school for lunch!)!
At 7:00 p.m., it was time to start the induction process. My nurse, Amanda, came in to start me on Cervidil. She had to place the Cervidil up next to my cervix and needless to say, it was an incredibly painful procedure. Once the Cervidil was in place, we had to wait 12 hours to see how my cervix would change. She checked on me throughout the evening and while visiting with her, we realized that we had a ton of friends in common! She and her husband went to Oklahoma Christian and graduated a year ahead of me so she knew a lot of people that I grew up with in OKC. What a small world! I felt like it was a God moment to put her there for me…just knowing our connection helped me relax a bit.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Before the shift change at 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Amanda came in, removed the Cervidil, and checked my cervix. I was still dilated only 1cm, but had effaced quite significantly. Because the Cervidil had not helped me dilate, my doctor ordered for me to receive Cytotec, another “ripening agent.” Cytotec is a small pill that is placed next to the cervix and often, it can start contractions without even needing Pitocin. I must say, out of all the pain I felt through my entire labor and delivery process, the placement of this pill was by far the worst! Cervidil makes the cervix very sore and sensitive and the Cytotec has to be placed inside with very little gel. I was nearly screaming and was crying due to the pain I felt! I know Tim hated to watch me go through that. I told him that I just wanted to forget the whole induction and go home because I didn’t feel like I could go through with it after that. Luckily, the worst, as far as pain was concerned, was over! My nurse at this point was Jamie and she was awesome! I was so embarrassed and felt defeated, but she was very encouraging and helped me feel that what I was feeling and experiencing was very normal.
At noon, my doctor ordered for me to be put on Pitocin to get the contractions moving along. I definitely started feeling them more and more and was excited that things were getting going! Jamie came in shortly after starting the Pitocin to let me know that Dr. Robert would be coming within an hour or two to break my water. I asked her how painful that procedure was and she told me that to be truthful, it was one of the more painful procedures. I was really not looking forward to having another experience like I’d already had! Because Dr. Robert was extremely busy on this day, she did not make it within a few hours. In fact, it felt like I waited on her all day! Jamie checked with Dr. Robert to see if it was possible for me to receive my epidural before she came by to break my water and Dr. Robert agreed. Jamie had to check my cervix before the anesthesiologist could come and it was no longer painful since I had been making progress! When she checked it was around 5:00 p.m. and I was between 3 and 4cm dilated. The nurse anesthetist arrived and she was wonderful! She explained everything to me in great detail and I felt like that process was easy and painless. My biggest concern was that my epidural would wear off before time to push, but she explained that it wouldn’t because it was a drip through my IV. Within a few minutes, I was feeling great! I could still feel my legs and toes, but they were tingly and there was no pain. Everyone kept laughing because they were watching my monitor and telling me that I’d just had a huge contraction but I didn’t feel a thing!
I was very sad to see Jamie leave, especially after meeting my next nurse Jessica. She was terrible! She didn’t come in and introduce herself when she started her shift and after I finally met her, she would disappear for several hours even after telling me that she’d be right back with something. We were frustrated with her and also a bit frustrated that Dr. Robert still hadn’t arrived and it had been 7 hours! Shortly after 7:00 p.m., Dr. Robert arrived and came in to break my water. She told me that I was dilated to 7cm and almost to 8! She also discovered that there was meconium in the amniotic fluid. Dr. Robert had to leave again to go to another hospital, but was going to be back shortly. I’m sure Jessica checked my cervix several times before this, but I remember that around 10:00 p.m., I was almost to 10cm! She said that there was just a tiny bit of rim left to go. I slept a lot throughout the day due to some Flexeril I had been given for my headache and neck pain and this helped the time go by quicker. At some point in the evening, Jessica had me lying on my sides with one leg raised to get the epidural to spread evenly and also to make sure Jacob’s head was turned correctly. I woke up with significant pain in part of my back and was feeling contractions in that area, so the nurse anesthetist was called back in and she gave me a boost to help ensure the medicine was covering all areas. Unfortunately, that made me go completely numb from the waist down and I had no control over my legs! In fact, my leg kept sliding out of the raised part and my mom had to keep trying to lift the dead weight. Luckily, the complete numbness wore off before time to push so I could feel where the pressure was.
At 11:30 p.m., Jessica wanted me to do some pushing to see if that would help me get to a full 10cm. It didn’t seem to help. I had been hoping all along that Jacob would be born on 10-20-2010, but was starting to get discouraged that he wouldn’t make it in time and sure enough, he didn’t.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
I continued to rest while my contractions got stronger and stronger. We started to think that he might be born in the 3:00 hour of the morning since both Tim and I were born at that time. Around 3:30 a.m. Jessica told me that it was time to start pushing. My mom, Tim and Val were all in the delivery room taking turns helping me with my legs. I never thought I would, but I decided to use the mirror and it was so cool watching him progress through the birth canal as I pushed my little heart out! I pushed for exactly one hour and on my last push, I almost pushed his head all the way out. Jessica had to put her hand on his head to keep him in place and she told me to hang on while she called for my doctor and the nursery staff to join us ASAP! My doctor had been in another room sleeping, so she had to put her contacts in and soon my room was filled with lots of hospital staff. I couldn’t believe that I just had to wait when I was feeling so much pressure and wanted to push! In the meantime, Dr. Robert talked to Tim and they both got ready for the grand finale. Finally, she had me push and once she got his head out, it was Tim’s turn to deliver the rest of him and cut the umbilical cord. He came out very calm and opened his eyes really big to check out the world! I was overcome with tears of joy! Jacob Ryan Kerby was born at 4:43 a.m. weighing 8lbs. 8.5oz. and was 21.75 in. long!
I had been told that he would be immediately put on my chest after delivery, but this wasn’t the case. As soon as his cord was cut, the nursery staff took him to get suctioned and checked out. I guess this was standard since the meconium was already in the fluid and they needed to get everything out so he didn’t get pneumonia. They were also a bit worried that he wasn’t crying, but his Apgar scores were good! While he was being attended to, Dr. Robert was working hard to help me deliver the placenta and this took a while. Finally, she had sown me up and was finished with me. Tim had been holding Jacob the whole time just like a proud Daddy would, but I was ready for my turn. I finally got to hold my baby at 5:15 a.m. and I thought (and still do!) that he was the most beautiful baby I’d ever seen, even with his major conehead! I had been asking when I could have food and a Dr. Pepper and she said as soon as she was finished with me. Val was standing ready with my Dr. Pepper and then she went on a food run to get me some biscuits from McDonald’s. Food had never tasted so good! My nurse Jessica had turned out to be a great help during the delivery process and she stayed with us past her shift to get us situated into our postpartum room (259) at around 7:30 a.m. The rest of our stay at the hospital was great. We had some excellent nurses, both for me and for Jacob!
Friday, October 15, 2010
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Just about 38 weeks...
The past few weeks have been extremely stressful and busy at work and I just keep thinking it could be any day now. While part of that sounds good, I am in no way prepared for someone else to take over my class! Last week I had my observation from my principal and it went really well, so I was glad to get that over and done with. In addition to my assessment, it was the end of the first six weeks grading period and I had a ton of grading to do, plus I got a new student last week! Just what I needed...another curveball (and another boy!). This week I've had Parent Teacher Conferences in the evening and on Monday, I just decided that I couldn't take another day of work since that's what I did ALL weekend!! Also, I found out Monday that the woman who was going to be my long-term sub could no longer do it! She's like the 6th or 7th person I've gone through! I will be attending 3 interviews this coming week with my principal to see if we can find someone to take over while I'm out. Because of the stress, I took Tuesday off to prep for conferences, run some errands, and go to my OB appointment. I felt so much better and only wished that I could have another day like that!
I forgot to mention that last week was my first appointment where my doctor checked my cervix. It was definitely uncomfortable, but not quite as bad as I expected. My doctor said that I was at either closed or just barely open. The swelling in my feet and legs are still a problem, but it looks like it is here to stay until Jacob arrives. My doctor said I probably have a good 10 pounds of water weight, which I'm hoping means I'll lose that part quickly :). At this week's appointment, not only was I still very swollen, but my blood pressure was 143/94! Not good! Since I'm not having any other symptoms (no protein in my urine, no blurred vision or headaches, etc.), they were not overly concerned. Plus, they thought it was probably high because of being nervous. Unfortunately, I've checked it every day since then and the diastolic number has not decreased. I'm sure my job has nothing to do with it :)!
My thoughts have been all over the place lately. For the most part, I cannot wait to be done with being pregnant and to have Jacob here in my arms. I can't wait to see what he looks like and to experience this new chapter. The other part of me is absolutely terrified! Yes, the delivery part is unknown and a bit scary, but the hardest part is that I just cannot grasp that within two weeks, this new life will be here and my world will be forever changed. I'm scared because I don't know how to be a mother and although I'm 31 (old to be a new mom), I still feel like a kid myself who is just trying to figure out life. I just want to be good at it and I'm scared that I won't make the right choices. It's not like other challenges I've had in life where I can tell myself, "Just stick it out for x amount of time...you can do it!" This is a forever thing! I know...I need to breathe and remind myself to take things one day at a time. Those of you who know me well know how hard that can be for me! Trust me, I really am SO excited and SO thankful for this blessing.
On a lighter note, Jacob's nursery is pretty much finished except for a few minor details. I just love it! My friend, Laura, did an incredible job painting a mural on the wall and everything just came together. I will get the pictures posted on here tonight. More to come...
I forgot to mention that last week was my first appointment where my doctor checked my cervix. It was definitely uncomfortable, but not quite as bad as I expected. My doctor said that I was at either closed or just barely open. The swelling in my feet and legs are still a problem, but it looks like it is here to stay until Jacob arrives. My doctor said I probably have a good 10 pounds of water weight, which I'm hoping means I'll lose that part quickly :). At this week's appointment, not only was I still very swollen, but my blood pressure was 143/94! Not good! Since I'm not having any other symptoms (no protein in my urine, no blurred vision or headaches, etc.), they were not overly concerned. Plus, they thought it was probably high because of being nervous. Unfortunately, I've checked it every day since then and the diastolic number has not decreased. I'm sure my job has nothing to do with it :)!
My thoughts have been all over the place lately. For the most part, I cannot wait to be done with being pregnant and to have Jacob here in my arms. I can't wait to see what he looks like and to experience this new chapter. The other part of me is absolutely terrified! Yes, the delivery part is unknown and a bit scary, but the hardest part is that I just cannot grasp that within two weeks, this new life will be here and my world will be forever changed. I'm scared because I don't know how to be a mother and although I'm 31 (old to be a new mom), I still feel like a kid myself who is just trying to figure out life. I just want to be good at it and I'm scared that I won't make the right choices. It's not like other challenges I've had in life where I can tell myself, "Just stick it out for x amount of time...you can do it!" This is a forever thing! I know...I need to breathe and remind myself to take things one day at a time. Those of you who know me well know how hard that can be for me! Trust me, I really am SO excited and SO thankful for this blessing.
On a lighter note, Jacob's nursery is pretty much finished except for a few minor details. I just love it! My friend, Laura, did an incredible job painting a mural on the wall and everything just came together. I will get the pictures posted on here tonight. More to come...
Friday, September 17, 2010
35 Weeks
Wow...I'm a bit frustrated that I haven't recorded my thoughts in the past 6 weeks, but then again that's what happens when school starts. It's like I'm two different people...there's "Summer Jill" and then there's "School Jill." Kind of like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde :). My life has beene extremely busy lately, but it has all been good!
On August 15, my dear friends at Greenville Oaks threw me an incredible shower for Jacob!! They thought of every detail, from having a boat out front saying "Sail-ebrate Jake" to vases filled with sand to go along with the beach theme of his bedroom. It was awesome! It was also great that Karin, Val, and Ian were able to come visit us that weekend. We had a great time! The shower was well attended and I felt so loved by my church home. The day couldn't have been more perfect. Hopefully, I will get pictures to post soon.
My dear friend, Kelli, also hosted a shower for me on August 28th. She really outdid herself!! She took on the shower by herself and you would have thought that someone catered it...she had excellent food and everything was just perfect! This shower was really special to me because a lot of close family friends were able to come down from Oklahoma to be there for me. It meant so much! My friend, Carrie, came down the day before the shower and stayed all weekend with us. We had such a good time together...shopping, talking, and just hanging out. She helped me go through all of my shower items and told me what I needed more of and what I had too much of. It was SO helpful! I wish we lived closer so we could do that more often, but it makes the times that we can be together special.
I officially reported back to work on August 16th and that evening Tim noticed that my ankles were "missing." They haven't returned since that day and now my feet are HUGE! I never knew swelling could hurt, but my skin feels so stretched and any pressure put on them hurts. I do my best to sit at work when I can, but that's not very easy to do when you teach elementary age students! Luckily, I do not have any other signs of preeclampsia (high blood pressure, protein in the urine, etc.), so my doctor is just keeping an eye on me. Since my last post, I have had my 32 week appointment and my 34 week appointment and have now gained around 28 pounds total. I was really hoping to stay under 30, but it looks like I'll gain closer to 35 when all is said and done. I think I'll blame some of it on all this swelling! They say I am right on track and he seems to still be head down, which is good news.
I always remember friends mentioning how uncomfortable they were at the end, but I don't remember anyone mentioning that it can be pretty painful (yes, I know more pain is coming)! Jacob is taking up so much space that I feel pressure all the way from my pelvic bone to the right side (and almost back) of my rib cage. Tim is always telling him to "be nice to your mommy!" I just feel sorry for him that I've run out of room! According to everything I've read, he is about 5 pounds now and somewhere around 17 inches or so long. Crazy!! Working all day and with the heat we've had has definitely taken a toll on me, but it also helps to make this time fly by.
I have a really great class this year...10 boys and 5 girls. I think God is trying to prepare me with all of these boys :). Although a few of them are rambunctious, some of them are the sweetest and most polite boys that I've ever met. I would love for Jacob to treat his teachers the way they treat me! The kids seem pretty excited that I'm having a baby and that they will get to meet him eventually. My sweet coworkers are in the midst of planning a shower for me at school and I know it will be great too! Even Tim got a shower recently :). His coworkers surprised him yesterday with balloons, cake, and some presents for Jacob, including a great gift card to Babies R Us! I think it's so sweet the way those ladies take care of Tim!
I know it seems that I am rambling, but I want to be sure to record some of these things before they slip from my memory :). I can't wait to post some pictures of the nursery. It is almost complete. My friend, Laura, who is very artistic, offered to paint a mural on the wall behind Jacob's crib. She came over last weekend and spent the day working hard on it. There are just a few final touches she wants to add this weekend before she's through. It looks AMAZING!!!
Well, I go back to the doctor a week from Tuesday and that will start my weekly visits of getting my cervix checked to see if I'm making progress. I'm nervous about that, but know that it means I'm almost to the finish line! More to come soon...
On August 15, my dear friends at Greenville Oaks threw me an incredible shower for Jacob!! They thought of every detail, from having a boat out front saying "Sail-ebrate Jake" to vases filled with sand to go along with the beach theme of his bedroom. It was awesome! It was also great that Karin, Val, and Ian were able to come visit us that weekend. We had a great time! The shower was well attended and I felt so loved by my church home. The day couldn't have been more perfect. Hopefully, I will get pictures to post soon.
My dear friend, Kelli, also hosted a shower for me on August 28th. She really outdid herself!! She took on the shower by herself and you would have thought that someone catered it...she had excellent food and everything was just perfect! This shower was really special to me because a lot of close family friends were able to come down from Oklahoma to be there for me. It meant so much! My friend, Carrie, came down the day before the shower and stayed all weekend with us. We had such a good time together...shopping, talking, and just hanging out. She helped me go through all of my shower items and told me what I needed more of and what I had too much of. It was SO helpful! I wish we lived closer so we could do that more often, but it makes the times that we can be together special.
I officially reported back to work on August 16th and that evening Tim noticed that my ankles were "missing." They haven't returned since that day and now my feet are HUGE! I never knew swelling could hurt, but my skin feels so stretched and any pressure put on them hurts. I do my best to sit at work when I can, but that's not very easy to do when you teach elementary age students! Luckily, I do not have any other signs of preeclampsia (high blood pressure, protein in the urine, etc.), so my doctor is just keeping an eye on me. Since my last post, I have had my 32 week appointment and my 34 week appointment and have now gained around 28 pounds total. I was really hoping to stay under 30, but it looks like I'll gain closer to 35 when all is said and done. I think I'll blame some of it on all this swelling! They say I am right on track and he seems to still be head down, which is good news.
I always remember friends mentioning how uncomfortable they were at the end, but I don't remember anyone mentioning that it can be pretty painful (yes, I know more pain is coming)! Jacob is taking up so much space that I feel pressure all the way from my pelvic bone to the right side (and almost back) of my rib cage. Tim is always telling him to "be nice to your mommy!" I just feel sorry for him that I've run out of room! According to everything I've read, he is about 5 pounds now and somewhere around 17 inches or so long. Crazy!! Working all day and with the heat we've had has definitely taken a toll on me, but it also helps to make this time fly by.
I have a really great class this year...10 boys and 5 girls. I think God is trying to prepare me with all of these boys :). Although a few of them are rambunctious, some of them are the sweetest and most polite boys that I've ever met. I would love for Jacob to treat his teachers the way they treat me! The kids seem pretty excited that I'm having a baby and that they will get to meet him eventually. My sweet coworkers are in the midst of planning a shower for me at school and I know it will be great too! Even Tim got a shower recently :). His coworkers surprised him yesterday with balloons, cake, and some presents for Jacob, including a great gift card to Babies R Us! I think it's so sweet the way those ladies take care of Tim!
I know it seems that I am rambling, but I want to be sure to record some of these things before they slip from my memory :). I can't wait to post some pictures of the nursery. It is almost complete. My friend, Laura, who is very artistic, offered to paint a mural on the wall behind Jacob's crib. She came over last weekend and spent the day working hard on it. There are just a few final touches she wants to add this weekend before she's through. It looks AMAZING!!!
Well, I go back to the doctor a week from Tuesday and that will start my weekly visits of getting my cervix checked to see if I'm making progress. I'm nervous about that, but know that it means I'm almost to the finish line! More to come soon...
Sunday, August 08, 2010
Week 29
Last week was my week 28 appointment where I was tested for gestational diabetes. After hearing how horrible the drink and testing were from so many friends, I was a little worried about how it would make me feel, especially since I had a full day of school meetings to go to. I must have had an unusual experience, but I thought the drink tasted pretty good (except for the aftertaste) and it didn't make me feel sick. Honestly, I was more worried about my doctor checking my cervix for signs of pre-term labor because I figured it would hurt.
Thankfully, this was not the case. It was a tad uncomfortable, but it didn't hurt. I got right in, met with my doctor, and had my blood work done in no time. So far, I have gained about 17 pounds and although I'm not worried that I'm gaining too much, I'm hoping that I don't gain more than 30 pounds altogether so I have less to lose after delivery. My blood pressure was good and when my doctor measured my fundal height, she said that I was measuring about 29.5 weeks, about a week or so ahead of schedule. I was told that if I didn't hear from them, that it was good news related to gestational diabetes, so I'm hoping that's the case. She also could tell that Jacob is already head down and I sure started to notice that this past week!!
Instead of his usual movements and kicks, it now seems that he enjoys kicking off the top of my uterus, which then pushes his head down low against my pelvic bone. I do not find this fun!! In fact, it is quite startling and painful. It also feels like I'm having muscle spasms/twitching low, but that could be Jacob's movement or his hiccups. I have to say that even though all of this is sometimes a bit painful, I know I will really miss feeling him inside of me once he's born. I think it is the most amazing thing and am thankful to God for letting me experience this!
On Saturday, Tim and I got up early to attend a three and a half hour class on breastfeeding...just what Tim wanted to do bright and early on a Saturday :)! We did learn some new things, but most of the class was not helpful. We have one more class that we signed up for called Child Care and it's all about how to take care of the baby once we bring him home. I'm really looking forward to this one!
On Wednesday of this week, Karin, Val, and Ian are coming to visit. We can't wait to see them! Unfortunately, I am back at work as of Thursday, but I'm hoping to cut out of some of our training early. This coming weekend is my Greenville Oaks shower and I'm beginning to feel like it's Christmas :)! I know my friends have been doing a great job planning it and I can't wait to see what all they've done! More updates and pictures to come...
Me on July 31, 2010 ~ Week 28
Thankfully, this was not the case. It was a tad uncomfortable, but it didn't hurt. I got right in, met with my doctor, and had my blood work done in no time. So far, I have gained about 17 pounds and although I'm not worried that I'm gaining too much, I'm hoping that I don't gain more than 30 pounds altogether so I have less to lose after delivery. My blood pressure was good and when my doctor measured my fundal height, she said that I was measuring about 29.5 weeks, about a week or so ahead of schedule. I was told that if I didn't hear from them, that it was good news related to gestational diabetes, so I'm hoping that's the case. She also could tell that Jacob is already head down and I sure started to notice that this past week!!
Instead of his usual movements and kicks, it now seems that he enjoys kicking off the top of my uterus, which then pushes his head down low against my pelvic bone. I do not find this fun!! In fact, it is quite startling and painful. It also feels like I'm having muscle spasms/twitching low, but that could be Jacob's movement or his hiccups. I have to say that even though all of this is sometimes a bit painful, I know I will really miss feeling him inside of me once he's born. I think it is the most amazing thing and am thankful to God for letting me experience this!
On Saturday, Tim and I got up early to attend a three and a half hour class on breastfeeding...just what Tim wanted to do bright and early on a Saturday :)! We did learn some new things, but most of the class was not helpful. We have one more class that we signed up for called Child Care and it's all about how to take care of the baby once we bring him home. I'm really looking forward to this one!
On Wednesday of this week, Karin, Val, and Ian are coming to visit. We can't wait to see them! Unfortunately, I am back at work as of Thursday, but I'm hoping to cut out of some of our training early. This coming weekend is my Greenville Oaks shower and I'm beginning to feel like it's Christmas :)! I know my friends have been doing a great job planning it and I can't wait to see what all they've done! More updates and pictures to come...
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Over 25 Weeks
I have really enjoyed being out of school for the past 5 weeks! Unfortunately, I've spent quite a bit of that time in professional development classes, but it's not nearly as bad as grading papers and getting up so early! A few weeks ago, I got to see my sister and her husband when they came to visit some of his family. She is 7 weeks behind me in her pregnancy and this was the only time we were going to get to see each other pregnant. The crazy part is that she wasn't showing AT ALL!! She had told me that she had a pooch, but I certainly didn't see it. We took a picture to remember the occasion...she was 16 weeks and I was 23. I can't wait to find out if she's having a boy or a girl! We should know next Monday.
Last week was my latest OB appointment and everything is looking good. Jacob's heartrate was 149 and strong and my blood pressure was great. I was given the Glucola drink since my next appointment they will be checking me for gestational diabetes. They also warned me that they will be checking my cervix...I hope that's not painful! Tim and I started taking classes last week. We are currently attending Prepared Childbirth which is a 12-hour class split into 3 evening sessions. So far we learned about pre-labor and practiced some breathing and relaxation techniques. I have to say that the relaxation cd was pretty hokey! It told me to pretend that I was entering the womb and talking to my baby and then to tell my baby that I would come visit him again soon!! Next week we will be going through the stages of labor and at the last class, we will be discussing inducing, c-section, epidurals, etc. I have also signed up for a Breastfeeding class and a Child Care class that are held in August. On Monday night, Tim and I went to the Open House at the hospital where we think I will be delivering, Baylor Hospital in Frisco. It is a beautiful hospital that just celebrated its 3rd anniversary. I think one of the greatest things they offer is a 1:1 nurse-patient ratio. I will be the only patient that my nurse has, which is pretty awesome! We are going to check out one other hospital later this week just for comparison purposes, but we are pretty sure we will stick with Baylor. We also started working on Jacob's nursery last week, which is really a fun part for me! We had his room painted Harbor Fog and the next night, Tim put together his crib (with a little help from me). Below are a few pictures taken recently. Only one more month till my first baby shower! I'm excited that Karin, Val, and Ian are all going to be able to come!
Me with Joy
Our Baby Bellys
Me at 24 weeks taken on July 3, 2010
Tim Working Hard on the Crib
Last week was my latest OB appointment and everything is looking good. Jacob's heartrate was 149 and strong and my blood pressure was great. I was given the Glucola drink since my next appointment they will be checking me for gestational diabetes. They also warned me that they will be checking my cervix...I hope that's not painful! Tim and I started taking classes last week. We are currently attending Prepared Childbirth which is a 12-hour class split into 3 evening sessions. So far we learned about pre-labor and practiced some breathing and relaxation techniques. I have to say that the relaxation cd was pretty hokey! It told me to pretend that I was entering the womb and talking to my baby and then to tell my baby that I would come visit him again soon!! Next week we will be going through the stages of labor and at the last class, we will be discussing inducing, c-section, epidurals, etc. I have also signed up for a Breastfeeding class and a Child Care class that are held in August. On Monday night, Tim and I went to the Open House at the hospital where we think I will be delivering, Baylor Hospital in Frisco. It is a beautiful hospital that just celebrated its 3rd anniversary. I think one of the greatest things they offer is a 1:1 nurse-patient ratio. I will be the only patient that my nurse has, which is pretty awesome! We are going to check out one other hospital later this week just for comparison purposes, but we are pretty sure we will stick with Baylor. We also started working on Jacob's nursery last week, which is really a fun part for me! We had his room painted Harbor Fog and the next night, Tim put together his crib (with a little help from me). Below are a few pictures taken recently. Only one more month till my first baby shower! I'm excited that Karin, Val, and Ian are all going to be able to come!
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