This weekend, I had the immense pleasure of meeting my sweet niece, Elliott Marie. She is definitely one of the most beautiful babies EVER! She was born at 12:25am, weighing 9 lbs. 9.7 oz. and almost 23 inches long! She has lots of brown hair and a nice tan complexion. She makes super funny faces and sleeps with her mouth open, which I absolutely love! She loves to eat and sleep and is very good at both! She gave me a run for my money during a diaper change and getting her ready to go home! I'm sure we'll be great friends and that I'll be her favorite aunt...at least on the Leitnaker side of the family!
Being around Miss Elliott was amazing and made me that much more excited about the little one who will be entering our lives sooner than later! It's still amazing to me to think about a little one just relaxing and growing inside of me right as we speak! I can't wait to see our little one playing with his or her cousin, Elliott!!
On another note, we had another appointment with Jasmine today. The baby's heartbeat is at 140...nice and healthy! And measuring at 19 weeks, which is right on track as we'll be 19 weeks at the end of the week! We have another exciting day coming up on Thursday, as we'll be having our ultrasound! I cannot wait to see our little baby!!!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Dream A Little Dream...
I know that I have done a lot of talking about some of the not so fun aspects of pregnancy. However...I am totally loving the dreams that come along with pregnancy. Dreams are always so interesting to me anyways, but now they are just amazing! Pregnancy dreams definitely make the list of the top 10 cool things about being pregnant!
Over the weekend, I had a dream that Kate Gosselin and her daugher, Leah, showed up to take my bellydance class. In my dream I didn't think anything of it, just greeted them and got them dancing.
In another recent dream were tons of people I went to middle school or high school with. Most of whom I haven't spoken to in several years. Funny to have their names and faces pop into my dreams.
I've also had a few funny baby dreams. In one, the baby was born on August 15th (don't know if that means anything!) but the baby only weighed a little over a pound. We were at a beach house with Eric's parents, in Florida, and I was carrying around this tiny baby, perplexed at the size. Everyone just kept telling me everything was fine, the baby just came out really small.
I've also had some not so funny dreams, so that were down right scary. In one, a family member passed away. No one wanted to tell me while I was pregnant so they were sending texts back and forth from this person's phone, answering my facebook comments, etc. That dream was totally scary and not fun at all, but still totally vivid.
I have read that dreams become more bizarre and easier to remember because pregnant women are more likely to interrupt a dream-filled cycle of REM sleep by waking up during the night for any number of reasons - bathroom, middle of the night snack, re-situating, etc.
I wish I had started keeping track of some of these crazy dreams. But some of them have been so interesting, I don't think I'll ever forget them!
Over the weekend, I had a dream that Kate Gosselin and her daugher, Leah, showed up to take my bellydance class. In my dream I didn't think anything of it, just greeted them and got them dancing.
In another recent dream were tons of people I went to middle school or high school with. Most of whom I haven't spoken to in several years. Funny to have their names and faces pop into my dreams.
I've also had a few funny baby dreams. In one, the baby was born on August 15th (don't know if that means anything!) but the baby only weighed a little over a pound. We were at a beach house with Eric's parents, in Florida, and I was carrying around this tiny baby, perplexed at the size. Everyone just kept telling me everything was fine, the baby just came out really small.
I've also had some not so funny dreams, so that were down right scary. In one, a family member passed away. No one wanted to tell me while I was pregnant so they were sending texts back and forth from this person's phone, answering my facebook comments, etc. That dream was totally scary and not fun at all, but still totally vivid.
I have read that dreams become more bizarre and easier to remember because pregnant women are more likely to interrupt a dream-filled cycle of REM sleep by waking up during the night for any number of reasons - bathroom, middle of the night snack, re-situating, etc.
I wish I had started keeping track of some of these crazy dreams. But some of them have been so interesting, I don't think I'll ever forget them!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
The Madness Begins
Today is one of my favorite days of the year. I don't love to watch college basketball the entire season, except for the Cats, but once the tournament comes around...it's a whole different ball game!
On the other hand, I'm super antsy right now waiting for my sister's baby to arrive! Tomorrow is the official due day, but I have been waiting very impatiently this week for the little one to arrive. I'm pretty sure that since the forecast I heard on my way home from work called for up to 16 inches of snow, the baby will be on it's way shortly after I-70 is closed! Or...this 65 degree weather will continue and we won't have to worry about the weather, for once!
We are at 17 weeks! Can't believe how fast this is going! I keep hearing that we may be able to start feeling the baby move over the next few weeks. However, it may feel like gas. I'm still unsure about whether or not I'm feeling my sweet little baby or a gas bubble, which is an unusual thought! I don't want to get too emotional over a little gas, but I also don't want to blow off the first time I feel the baby moves because it may just be gas! Oh the weirdness of pregnancy!!
I have been feeling GREAT the past few weeks! It is so nice to have some energy back and be up for some physical activity almost daily, as opposed to coming home and napping on the couch, eating dinner, napping a little more and then heading to bed! We have another appointment at the end of the month and have scheduled our ultrasound for April 1. I am so looking forward to that day!
On the other hand, I'm super antsy right now waiting for my sister's baby to arrive! Tomorrow is the official due day, but I have been waiting very impatiently this week for the little one to arrive. I'm pretty sure that since the forecast I heard on my way home from work called for up to 16 inches of snow, the baby will be on it's way shortly after I-70 is closed! Or...this 65 degree weather will continue and we won't have to worry about the weather, for once!
We are at 17 weeks! Can't believe how fast this is going! I keep hearing that we may be able to start feeling the baby move over the next few weeks. However, it may feel like gas. I'm still unsure about whether or not I'm feeling my sweet little baby or a gas bubble, which is an unusual thought! I don't want to get too emotional over a little gas, but I also don't want to blow off the first time I feel the baby moves because it may just be gas! Oh the weirdness of pregnancy!!
I have been feeling GREAT the past few weeks! It is so nice to have some energy back and be up for some physical activity almost daily, as opposed to coming home and napping on the couch, eating dinner, napping a little more and then heading to bed! We have another appointment at the end of the month and have scheduled our ultrasound for April 1. I am so looking forward to that day!
Friday, March 12, 2010
A little home birth fun
We're not in any way trying to change anyone's opinions on births but just want folks to know that we've done our research on this topic and have chosen the option that is safest for us and best suits our wants/needs.
I've been looking online and here are some home birth statistics for everyone's reading pleasure! (These were all found at www.storknet.com)
"The National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit concluded in Where To Be Born in 1994 that 'no evidence exists to support the claim that a hospital is the safest place for women to have normal births'."
"Dr. Lewis Mehl compared matched populations of 2,092 home births and 2,092 hospital births. Midwives and family doctors attended the home births, while OB/GYNs and family doctors attended the hospital births. Within the hospital group, the fetal distress rate was 6 times higher, maternal hemorrhage was 3 times higher, limp unresponsive newborns arrived 3 times more often and there were 30 permanent birth injuries caused by doctors."
"David Stewart reported in the NAPSAC News that the national infant mortality rate in 1991 was 8.9 deaths per 1000 live births. Stewart adds that "the international standing of the U.S. did not really begin to fall until the mid-1950s. This correlates perfectly with the founding of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) in 1951."
"Shoulder dystocia is handled better at home because of the freedom of birthing positions. If there are signs of trouble, a midwife can easily and quickly help the birthing woman get onto her hands and knees (the Gaskin maneuver, named for Farm midwife Ina Mae Gaskin). In the hospital, the beds aren't as adequate for allowing this type of position change.
The baby's oxygen supply is preserved at home by delaying umbilical cord cutting. In the hospital, the cord is cut immediately, increasing the need for resuscitation efforts.
Postpartum hemorrhage can be remedied at home by putting the baby to the breast immediately to stimulate oxytocin production and uterine contractions. Compression of the uterus can also be done at home. Some midwives carry IVs or an injection of Pitocin for these circumstances.
For true emergencies that require transport to the hospital, women laboring at home 20 minutes from the hospital have the same access to emergency surgery as women laboring at that same hospital. Many hospitals cannot prepare for an emergency surgical delivery in less than 20 minutes. The ACOG standard is currently "30 minutes decision to incision" for all non-scheduled cesarean sections."
"Women who give birth in the hospital are much more likely to experience postpartum depression or even post-traumatic stress disorder. Sheila Kitzinger states that the more interventions a woman experiences."
I've been looking online and here are some home birth statistics for everyone's reading pleasure! (These were all found at www.storknet.com)
"The National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit concluded in Where To Be Born in 1994 that 'no evidence exists to support the claim that a hospital is the safest place for women to have normal births'."
"Dr. Lewis Mehl compared matched populations of 2,092 home births and 2,092 hospital births. Midwives and family doctors attended the home births, while OB/GYNs and family doctors attended the hospital births. Within the hospital group, the fetal distress rate was 6 times higher, maternal hemorrhage was 3 times higher, limp unresponsive newborns arrived 3 times more often and there were 30 permanent birth injuries caused by doctors."
"David Stewart reported in the NAPSAC News that the national infant mortality rate in 1991 was 8.9 deaths per 1000 live births. Stewart adds that "the international standing of the U.S. did not really begin to fall until the mid-1950s. This correlates perfectly with the founding of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) in 1951."
"Shoulder dystocia is handled better at home because of the freedom of birthing positions. If there are signs of trouble, a midwife can easily and quickly help the birthing woman get onto her hands and knees (the Gaskin maneuver, named for Farm midwife Ina Mae Gaskin). In the hospital, the beds aren't as adequate for allowing this type of position change.
The baby's oxygen supply is preserved at home by delaying umbilical cord cutting. In the hospital, the cord is cut immediately, increasing the need for resuscitation efforts.
Postpartum hemorrhage can be remedied at home by putting the baby to the breast immediately to stimulate oxytocin production and uterine contractions. Compression of the uterus can also be done at home. Some midwives carry IVs or an injection of Pitocin for these circumstances.
For true emergencies that require transport to the hospital, women laboring at home 20 minutes from the hospital have the same access to emergency surgery as women laboring at that same hospital. Many hospitals cannot prepare for an emergency surgical delivery in less than 20 minutes. The ACOG standard is currently "30 minutes decision to incision" for all non-scheduled cesarean sections."
"Women who give birth in the hospital are much more likely to experience postpartum depression or even post-traumatic stress disorder. Sheila Kitzinger states that the more interventions a woman experiences."
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
15 weeks
So, tomorrow we will be officially 15 weeks! We had another appointment this week and all seems to be going well. Nice, strong heartbeat and growing like a weed!
Here we are at 15 weeks!
The 3 of us enjoyed a nice road trip to Kansas for a long weekend. We celebrated Cecelia's 90th birthday, had a shower for my sister and got to spend some time with our families! It was a good trip, for the most part! However, I am learning that being in the car for 12+ hours is not nearly as easy. Even though there's not much of a belly to accommodate, there is just not a comfortable position to hang out in for the drive across Colorado and Kansas. Luckily, Eric drove the whole way both directions, but man was I exhausted by the time we got home! Our road trips will begin to change and probably take longer as this little one continues to grow!
I also completed my first sewing project, which I was quite proud of! I made my sister a sling to carry little Baby Kraus! Okay, it wasn't my first sewing project, but probably my first project I've done without my Grandma's help and since about the age of 11. Hopefully that little one enjoys it as much as Otis did when we tested it on him to make sure it didn't rip into 1000 little pieces! See my models, Eric and Otis, testing it out...
It's hard to believe we are almost 4 months along in this process, which is almost half way done! I thought I would never get past the first trimester since we found out we were pregnant so early...but I am fully enjoying the second trimester! My energy is slowly but surely coming back, which has been amazing especially since we have been enjoying some nice warm weather this week! I'm so ready for winter to be over, bring on the warmth!
Here we are at 15 weeks!
The 3 of us enjoyed a nice road trip to Kansas for a long weekend. We celebrated Cecelia's 90th birthday, had a shower for my sister and got to spend some time with our families! It was a good trip, for the most part! However, I am learning that being in the car for 12+ hours is not nearly as easy. Even though there's not much of a belly to accommodate, there is just not a comfortable position to hang out in for the drive across Colorado and Kansas. Luckily, Eric drove the whole way both directions, but man was I exhausted by the time we got home! Our road trips will begin to change and probably take longer as this little one continues to grow!
I also completed my first sewing project, which I was quite proud of! I made my sister a sling to carry little Baby Kraus! Okay, it wasn't my first sewing project, but probably my first project I've done without my Grandma's help and since about the age of 11. Hopefully that little one enjoys it as much as Otis did when we tested it on him to make sure it didn't rip into 1000 little pieces! See my models, Eric and Otis, testing it out...
It's hard to believe we are almost 4 months along in this process, which is almost half way done! I thought I would never get past the first trimester since we found out we were pregnant so early...but I am fully enjoying the second trimester! My energy is slowly but surely coming back, which has been amazing especially since we have been enjoying some nice warm weather this week! I'm so ready for winter to be over, bring on the warmth!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)