10 One Month

It's been a hectic first month, with Mommy and Daddy trying to get into this new routine with their beautiful daughter. Some things have fallen to the sidelines. It all takes a backseat, and she is in control. So whatever time is left, things are starting to get back to normal and caught up. 

Including my blog, which I wanted to use as a journal for 

our little girl's first year and all the milestones she is going to reach. 

So I'm going to try to start updating it once a week and keep track of what she is doing and what all is changing. The time is flying by and I don't want to miss documenting every little thing she does.

She has changed so much in the first month, I can't believe it!

So here is a summary of what you have been up to for the last four weeks.

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Grace Mae - you are ONE month old!!!

You weigh 8 lbs and are 21 inches tall.

(You lost a little when you got home, but passed up your birthweight at 3 wks) 

You are wearing newborn clothes.

(Some of those are too big still for you but you are getting close!)

You wear a newborn diaper. 

(Currently outgrowing Pampers and making your way into Huggies)

 

You have gotten to be a good sleeper. 

After that first night at home, (remember the one where none of us got any sleep?), 

you have settled into a routine of waking up to eat about midnight, three and six. 

You don't have any problems normally going back to sleep in about 15 minutes. 

Its been pretty good, I know how many first time moms would kill for a few hours of sleep at a time! 

So thank you for that my little bundle of joy! 

 

You nap alot, and if you aren't eating, you probably are sleeping. 

I'm guessing you sleep about 18-20 hours a day. 

I have followed the old theory of don't wake a sleeping baby, 

so if you nap extra long, then you'll eat more when you wake up. 

You are growing and need your rest!

 

Oh and you sometimes grin and giggle in your sleep. Its freakin adorable and makes us chuckle! 

You are starting to get a little better with controlling your neck. 

You had a strong neck from the first few days at the hospital. While you are not a fan of tummy time, we try to get some time in every now and then to help  you get better control. 

 

You are eating every 3-4 hours. Now that Mommy is getting this breastfeeding thing down a little better, it should be easier and less work for both of us. 

We did have to supplement formula for about a week or so, 

but you have been latching on better and seem to be filing yourself up from the tap, 

so we've stopped with the formula. It makes me feel good that 

I am giving you what you need to grow into a healthy little lady.  
  
We spent most of the first month holding you. Even if you were sleeping after a feeding or if you were just looking around. Its really hard to put you down. 

I just keep staring at you and can't believe how blessed we are. 

 

You probably have noticed Mommy cried alot the first month or so at home.

Its just all of these emotions that are going thru my body from carrying you for 10 months.

I sometimes cry because I am frustrated with my recovery from the surgery to get you here. 

It was hard not being able to do alot of stuff the first few weeks, Mommy isn't used to having to have help. 

 

Sometimes I tear up when you look in my eyes. How did I get so lucky? When I think about all of the scary things that could have happened, I cry some more. Not boohoo crying, but little happy wells of tears in my eyes. What a perfect little baby you are. And I appreciate every minute with you!

 

Daddy did an great job taking care of both of us when we got home. Between having to give Mommy spongebaths and taking care of her incision, and not being able to do anything when I had a random crying episode, he had his hands full with me....let alone with a brand new baby girl!

But he has been amazing! He was up with you for every diaper change and feeding. 

I am so lucky to have such a wonderful husband that is turning into a great father. 

You are lucky to get to call him Daddy!

 

You are truely a blessing and I love you to pieces! 

11 Grace's Birth Day

It was Wednesday June 8, 2011. The day our lives would change forever.  My husband and I arrived at the hospital at 4:45 A.M. and went right up to Labor and Delivery.  I got all settled in my room, got the gown on and the nurses came in and got my iv in and got me all hooked up to the belly monitors. The pitocin drip finally got started about 5:30 A.M.

It was calm for the first few hours, with contractions starting to get a little stronger and more consistent. We had the lights down and I think we were flipping thru the channels watching infomercials and old sitcoms. My Grandma came in a probably about 7:30 A.M. or so and sat with us. Not much was happening, just the occasional contraction.

The doctor first came in about 8:15 A.M.to check and see how I was coming along. I was dilated to 2cm. Next thing I know, as he was checking me, it felt like somebody turned a faucet on in between my legs. It was apparent he had broken my waters. So after that, which was the weirdest feeling by the way, everytime I had a contraction more gushed out and it took a while to not feel like I was peeing my pants.

At noon, they checked me again and I was just under 4cm. I got some Nubane to take the edge off.  It was nice, but soon after that, the contractions started getting stronger fast.  In less than an hour, I was in tears as the contractions all seemed to be centered at the base of my spine. And I don't mean just quiet sobs. I mean loud can't hardly breathe crying. It was so bad, I think my husband was petrified and felt horrible for me. I honestly thought that someone was shoving a knife in my back just above my bottom. It was the worst pain I have ever been in. EVER. 

So I moved to the rocking chair in hopes that maybe sitting up would help it. But no, it did not. It actually probably made me feel it even more. At 1:30 they checked me again in hopes that I was further along.  They checked and I was 4cm....that meant I was able to get the epideral if I wanted it. Heck yeah I wanted it! I was miserable and not even half way there,and I knew the contractions were going to get at least twice as bad.

So they gave me the epidural just under half an hour later, and it was a huge relief and I was able to kind of rest a little bit and regain my composure. It made me groggy but the stabbing knives were gone, so it was great.  I continued to dialate every hour. At 3PM I was 6cm, at 4PM I was 7cm, then at 4:45 PM I was at 8cm. By this point the baby had dropped to zero station, which meant she was getting ready to make her way down into the birth canal.  But I had started to feel the contractions in my left hip. The stabbing knives were back and had moved to my one side. And not with every contraction, just every few, but they were quickly approaching the level that had been at my spine hours earlier. So the medicine man came back and shot some more stuff in my epidural. And the pain slowly went away again. 

So over the next few hours, the dilating stopped and she hadn't dropped any more. I had hit a wall.  The doctor came in about 7 o'clock and checked me. 8cm and zero station. And she was upside down. Face up. Not the way babies should be born. After listening to all the details, while crying my eyes out, it was decided it was best to go ahead with a cesarean section to bring Grace into the world. It was scary, I have never had any kind of surgery. I didn't want her to be shocked at birth coming into it in a way she wasn't expecting. But the important thing was to get her here safely. I didn't want to risk injuring her shoulder if she couldn't fit or got stuck and then have to do a c-section anyway. It was the right thing to do.

So once that decision was made, everything moved forward pretty quickly. The nurses came in and got me prepped, my husband was given his wardrobe to accompany me into the room. And then I was wheeled down the hall, around the corner and into the operating room. All the while, tears were running down my face. Some were because I was scared, but most were because my little girl was almost here! I would be seeing her soon!

Back in the operating room, I laid there looking up at the ceiling tiles, trying to breathe and stay calm until my husband came in. Once he was beside me I felt better. And then the surgery began. I was in random conversation with the medicine man and my husband and the doctor. I felt pressure but never any pain or cutting, which was what I was afraid of.  Before I knew it, actually it seemed like it took forever.....the doctor told my husband to stand up and watch his child come into the world. My husband stood up, I saw him snapping some pictures and I asked if she was ok. He said she is perfect! I waited to hear her cry. It seems like it was forever, but only a few seconds before she started wailing. She's got her Momma's lungs! 

The doctor then lifted her up and I got my first glimpse of my daughter. 

She had hair and was bigger than I envisioned! Then they took her to the warmer, where my husband followed and got to watch them check her and get her cleaned up.

After they had her all clean and wrapped up they brought her over to me and I got to see and kiss our little girl. She was finally here. And she was perfect. Her apgars were great and her color was just right! And she had the chubbiest cheeks! I was groggy and weepy, but I knew how blessed we just had been. My pregnancy was now over and my role as mother had begun.

Because of the surgery, I was in the hospital thru Saturday. I was very sore, had some issues getting her to latch at first, but it was amazing to hold her in my arms. To look at her and know that the love that my husband and I had for each other created this tiny little human that looked at us like we held the moon.

Grace Mae Fisher

7 lbs 11 oz

20 1/2 inches long

6.8.11
7:57pm