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| November - 2009 |
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
5 Weeks Old
Hi Everyone,
Lila is now 5 weeks old and I wanted to update you on what's been happening in her life.
Lila had some jaundice issues in the initial days home which required us to get her tested pretty much every day for close to a week. Her bilirubin levels kept creeping up and we were worried she might have to be admitted to the hospital to undergo light therapy. Thankfully, though, they peaked and came back down before that happened! When she was discharged from the hospital on October 1st her level was 7.4, on October 2nd it was 11.7, on the 3rd it was 14.3, on the 4th it was 16.7, and on the 6th it was 13.6. We got the levels down by nursing frequently, using the Supplemental Nurser System (SNS) I used with Mario to ensure she was getting a lot of milk which helped her move her bowels and start getting rid of the bilirubin, and sitting in front of the window with her stripped down to her diaper to get her lots of sunlight exposure. All of it finally worked in our favor, without the need for formula or light therapy!
She also had some slow weight gain in the beginning that our pediatrician was monitoring, but that has evened out now and we aren't concerned about her progress at all. As you remember, she was 7 lbs 10.4 oz when she was born. She bottomed out at 7 lbs 0 oz when she was 4 days old (on October 4th). She slowly gained it back through lots of frequent nursing, though it took until she was nearly 3 weeks old to get back to birth weight (she was 7 lbs 12 oz on Oct 20th - 20 days old).
Yesterday was her 1 month check up and she weighed in at 8 lbs 6 oz, measured 21 inches long and had a head circumference of 14.5 inches. She is right on track developmentally and the pediatrician said she is "just perfect". She also got her second Hepatitis B vaccination (she received the first of three doses on the hospital). Our next appointment is in December for her 2 month visit.
Since she's been home, Lila has enjoyed having lots of visitors. The people who've come to visit include: our nanny Aimee, her Great Aunt Jean and Great Uncle Fred, her Grandma and Grandmpa Ferreri, her Grandpa Crowgey, her Aunt Brynn, her Uncle Nick, my home nurse Cheryl who took care of us while I was pregnant, and her Great Uncle Todd. My friend and co-worker, Karen, visited with us while we were still in the hospital.
We have all been enjoying our time as a family of four and have been adjusting nicely. Mario is an awesome big brother and loves to hug, kiss and hold his baby sister. We all went trick or treating as a family and you can check out the pictures in the Halloween album linked to this blog. And, while you're looking at pictures, look back through the ones of Mario as a baby. Lila's resemblance to his baby pictures is uncanny!
More updates to come. . . .
Lila is now 5 weeks old and I wanted to update you on what's been happening in her life.
Lila had some jaundice issues in the initial days home which required us to get her tested pretty much every day for close to a week. Her bilirubin levels kept creeping up and we were worried she might have to be admitted to the hospital to undergo light therapy. Thankfully, though, they peaked and came back down before that happened! When she was discharged from the hospital on October 1st her level was 7.4, on October 2nd it was 11.7, on the 3rd it was 14.3, on the 4th it was 16.7, and on the 6th it was 13.6. We got the levels down by nursing frequently, using the Supplemental Nurser System (SNS) I used with Mario to ensure she was getting a lot of milk which helped her move her bowels and start getting rid of the bilirubin, and sitting in front of the window with her stripped down to her diaper to get her lots of sunlight exposure. All of it finally worked in our favor, without the need for formula or light therapy!
She also had some slow weight gain in the beginning that our pediatrician was monitoring, but that has evened out now and we aren't concerned about her progress at all. As you remember, she was 7 lbs 10.4 oz when she was born. She bottomed out at 7 lbs 0 oz when she was 4 days old (on October 4th). She slowly gained it back through lots of frequent nursing, though it took until she was nearly 3 weeks old to get back to birth weight (she was 7 lbs 12 oz on Oct 20th - 20 days old).
Yesterday was her 1 month check up and she weighed in at 8 lbs 6 oz, measured 21 inches long and had a head circumference of 14.5 inches. She is right on track developmentally and the pediatrician said she is "just perfect". She also got her second Hepatitis B vaccination (she received the first of three doses on the hospital). Our next appointment is in December for her 2 month visit.
Since she's been home, Lila has enjoyed having lots of visitors. The people who've come to visit include: our nanny Aimee, her Great Aunt Jean and Great Uncle Fred, her Grandma and Grandmpa Ferreri, her Grandpa Crowgey, her Aunt Brynn, her Uncle Nick, my home nurse Cheryl who took care of us while I was pregnant, and her Great Uncle Todd. My friend and co-worker, Karen, visited with us while we were still in the hospital.
We have all been enjoying our time as a family of four and have been adjusting nicely. Mario is an awesome big brother and loves to hug, kiss and hold his baby sister. We all went trick or treating as a family and you can check out the pictures in the Halloween album linked to this blog. And, while you're looking at pictures, look back through the ones of Mario as a baby. Lila's resemblance to his baby pictures is uncanny!
More updates to come. . . .
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Lila's Birthday
Lila Jean Ferreri
September 30, 2009, 12:16pm
7lbs 10.4oz, 20.5 inches
Hello world! My name is Lila and I recently graced my family with my presence, ending the mystery of if my big brother, Mario, was going to have a little brother or little sister. Though they would have been thrilled either way, I know everyone is very happy to have a baby girl in the Ferreri clan J I’m still little and doing my job of eating, sleeping and growing, so I’ll let Mommy tell you the story of my birthday, just like Mario did when his blog was started. But, before I go, I just want to tell everyone to check back here and my brother’s blog often for updates and pictures of our family of four (well, four humans that is).
It was 2:30am on September 30, 2009, and I was 38 weeks and 5 days pregnant. I was up, yet again, to use the bathroom and was feeling mighty pregnant and uncomfortable. Everyone was right, those last few weeks of pregnancy can be downright miserable at times. Remember, I never got that far with Mario, who was born at 31 weeks and 2 days. I was so swollen clothes and shoes didn’t fit. My hands were hurting and swollen from the pregnancy induced carpal tunnel. My heartburn was so outrageous I slept sitting up for at least the first part of the night, and it seemed like something was always hurting. I had been going to my prenatal water aerobics class since April and had just had one that night. I always enjoyed those classes because they made me feel better, at least for a little while. I had also been having contractions for weeks, just not “true labor” contractions, though they were certainly uncomfortable at times.
Anyway, I hoisted myself back into bed and found a position that was at least somewhat comfortable for the moment. Just as I was closing my eyes to drift back to sleep until the next bathroom break I felt a warm liquid start running down my legs. Immediately I woke Dom up and told him my water had broken and then made my way back to the bathroom to sit on the toilet while we came up with our game plan (figured if I was going to be leaking / gushing water, I might as well not make a mess everywhere).
Dom and I both showered and packed our bags for the hospital. We called my mom to let her know it was time. Dom loaded the car and fed the dogs and cat, while I sent out a few emails letting people know I wouldn’t be at work that day and timed my contractions. We then snuck in Mario’s room and got his stuff together and called my doctor and Aimee, Mario’s nanny to let them know we were on our way. We loaded Mario in the car and I sat on a pile of towels covering the garbage bag liner we’d put over the car seat. Mario woke up on the way to Aimee’s and was confused as to why he was going to Aimee’s in the dark. After dropping Mario off at about 5am, we made our way to Good Samaritan Hospital and arrived at about 5:30am.
I was checked in the maternity ward triage area and was 3cm dilated, 80% effaced and at -2 station, which was a little progress from my last check at my appointment a week before (there I was 2cm, 60% and at -2 station). My contractions weren’t regular, but I knew I wanted to have this baby naturally, so I let the doctors and nurses know I would walk the halls and such to get labor going. So, after the nurse got the IV hooked up and Dr. Schuermann wrote the orders, we were on our way to labor and delivery to get set up in our birthing suite.
I was able to move around pretty freely and only had to be hooked up to the monitors for periodic checks. So, after sitting on the birthing ball for my first 20 minute monitoring session, Dom and I set out to walk the halls of L&D. We walked the square area several times, stopping during the bad contractions, before it was time to head back to my room for more monitoring and the nursing change over. This is when I met my nurse, Mel. I sat on the birth ball some more while I was hooked up to the monitors and then Dr. Smith came in to check me around 7:30am. At that check I was 5cm, 100% effaced and at 0 station, so things were progressing. I tried kneeling on a pillow on the floor and leaning on the birth ball for a different position, but it made me sick. Throwing up during contractions is no fun! So, I decided to rest in bed for a little bit and use my Bradley learned techniques to relax through the contractions. After a bit of that I tried leaning on the birth ball again, but I had the same results, so I gave up that position pretty quickly.
Around 10:00am, Mom and Granny arrived and I was able to talk with them a little between contractions. Dom, Mom and Granny were all pretty amazed (or so they said) at how peaceful I was able to get during contractions. Dom mentioned that it really did look like I was lounging in bed sleeping. Though, then things really started getting tough. Dr. Smith came in to check me again around 10:30 and at that point I had progressed to 7cm. Not too long after he left I really hit the “self-doubt signpost” we’d learned about while learning the Bradley Method. The contractions were really coming on strong and I wasn’t really getting a break between them. I kept thinking I couldn’t do it on my own and would like the epidural. Mom and Dom coached me through things and convinced me to get up and get in the shower to try a change of positions and some hydrotherapy. It took a lot of slow movements and strong will, but I managed to get out of bed and leaned on my mom quite a bit during the walk to the shower. I wasn’t in the shower much more than a few minutes when I felt the incredible pressure telling me the baby was right there. I told my mom who asked if I was feeling pushy, which I was. She turned the water off and started to dry me off when a nurse came in. We told her the update and all of us made our way back to the bed so I could be checked again.
At that check the nurse told me I only had a “lip” of cervix left and that would likely be gone in the next two contractions. So, with Mom’s help, I blew through the next couple of contractions. During this time, Mel came back in and Dr. Smith was called. They began to set up for delivery. With Mom on my left and Mel on my right, I began to push. Dom was behind me with the camera and Granny was on the sofa next to us. I didn’t have to push for very long (maybe 30 min or so) before the baby’s head was right there. After her head came out, Dr. Smith had to untangle the cord, which was wrapped around her neck and body, before I could push her the rest of the way out. After she was born, Dr. Smith put her up on my belly / chest and I got to look and announce that she was a girl. Dom cut the cord and he and Mom went over to the baby’s area of the suite with Mel while she cleaned Lila up and took her vitals and such. Dr. Smith then had to stitch me up (I had a level 2 tear and an episiotomy he had to repair).
We all spent the next hour bonding and talking before it was time for Mel to help me get up and get cleaned up so we could head up to our postpartum room on one of the mother baby floors. It was so nice to have achieved my goal of a completely natural, unmedicated birth. And, I definitely couldn’t have done it without Dom and my mom there. They were both amazing coaches and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Stay tuned for more updates on Lila. . .I’ll sneak them in as I can while she is napping :)
September 30, 2009, 12:16pm
7lbs 10.4oz, 20.5 inches
Hello world! My name is Lila and I recently graced my family with my presence, ending the mystery of if my big brother, Mario, was going to have a little brother or little sister. Though they would have been thrilled either way, I know everyone is very happy to have a baby girl in the Ferreri clan J I’m still little and doing my job of eating, sleeping and growing, so I’ll let Mommy tell you the story of my birthday, just like Mario did when his blog was started. But, before I go, I just want to tell everyone to check back here and my brother’s blog often for updates and pictures of our family of four (well, four humans that is).
It was 2:30am on September 30, 2009, and I was 38 weeks and 5 days pregnant. I was up, yet again, to use the bathroom and was feeling mighty pregnant and uncomfortable. Everyone was right, those last few weeks of pregnancy can be downright miserable at times. Remember, I never got that far with Mario, who was born at 31 weeks and 2 days. I was so swollen clothes and shoes didn’t fit. My hands were hurting and swollen from the pregnancy induced carpal tunnel. My heartburn was so outrageous I slept sitting up for at least the first part of the night, and it seemed like something was always hurting. I had been going to my prenatal water aerobics class since April and had just had one that night. I always enjoyed those classes because they made me feel better, at least for a little while. I had also been having contractions for weeks, just not “true labor” contractions, though they were certainly uncomfortable at times.
Anyway, I hoisted myself back into bed and found a position that was at least somewhat comfortable for the moment. Just as I was closing my eyes to drift back to sleep until the next bathroom break I felt a warm liquid start running down my legs. Immediately I woke Dom up and told him my water had broken and then made my way back to the bathroom to sit on the toilet while we came up with our game plan (figured if I was going to be leaking / gushing water, I might as well not make a mess everywhere).
Dom and I both showered and packed our bags for the hospital. We called my mom to let her know it was time. Dom loaded the car and fed the dogs and cat, while I sent out a few emails letting people know I wouldn’t be at work that day and timed my contractions. We then snuck in Mario’s room and got his stuff together and called my doctor and Aimee, Mario’s nanny to let them know we were on our way. We loaded Mario in the car and I sat on a pile of towels covering the garbage bag liner we’d put over the car seat. Mario woke up on the way to Aimee’s and was confused as to why he was going to Aimee’s in the dark. After dropping Mario off at about 5am, we made our way to Good Samaritan Hospital and arrived at about 5:30am.
I was checked in the maternity ward triage area and was 3cm dilated, 80% effaced and at -2 station, which was a little progress from my last check at my appointment a week before (there I was 2cm, 60% and at -2 station). My contractions weren’t regular, but I knew I wanted to have this baby naturally, so I let the doctors and nurses know I would walk the halls and such to get labor going. So, after the nurse got the IV hooked up and Dr. Schuermann wrote the orders, we were on our way to labor and delivery to get set up in our birthing suite.
I was able to move around pretty freely and only had to be hooked up to the monitors for periodic checks. So, after sitting on the birthing ball for my first 20 minute monitoring session, Dom and I set out to walk the halls of L&D. We walked the square area several times, stopping during the bad contractions, before it was time to head back to my room for more monitoring and the nursing change over. This is when I met my nurse, Mel. I sat on the birth ball some more while I was hooked up to the monitors and then Dr. Smith came in to check me around 7:30am. At that check I was 5cm, 100% effaced and at 0 station, so things were progressing. I tried kneeling on a pillow on the floor and leaning on the birth ball for a different position, but it made me sick. Throwing up during contractions is no fun! So, I decided to rest in bed for a little bit and use my Bradley learned techniques to relax through the contractions. After a bit of that I tried leaning on the birth ball again, but I had the same results, so I gave up that position pretty quickly.
Around 10:00am, Mom and Granny arrived and I was able to talk with them a little between contractions. Dom, Mom and Granny were all pretty amazed (or so they said) at how peaceful I was able to get during contractions. Dom mentioned that it really did look like I was lounging in bed sleeping. Though, then things really started getting tough. Dr. Smith came in to check me again around 10:30 and at that point I had progressed to 7cm. Not too long after he left I really hit the “self-doubt signpost” we’d learned about while learning the Bradley Method. The contractions were really coming on strong and I wasn’t really getting a break between them. I kept thinking I couldn’t do it on my own and would like the epidural. Mom and Dom coached me through things and convinced me to get up and get in the shower to try a change of positions and some hydrotherapy. It took a lot of slow movements and strong will, but I managed to get out of bed and leaned on my mom quite a bit during the walk to the shower. I wasn’t in the shower much more than a few minutes when I felt the incredible pressure telling me the baby was right there. I told my mom who asked if I was feeling pushy, which I was. She turned the water off and started to dry me off when a nurse came in. We told her the update and all of us made our way back to the bed so I could be checked again.
At that check the nurse told me I only had a “lip” of cervix left and that would likely be gone in the next two contractions. So, with Mom’s help, I blew through the next couple of contractions. During this time, Mel came back in and Dr. Smith was called. They began to set up for delivery. With Mom on my left and Mel on my right, I began to push. Dom was behind me with the camera and Granny was on the sofa next to us. I didn’t have to push for very long (maybe 30 min or so) before the baby’s head was right there. After her head came out, Dr. Smith had to untangle the cord, which was wrapped around her neck and body, before I could push her the rest of the way out. After she was born, Dr. Smith put her up on my belly / chest and I got to look and announce that she was a girl. Dom cut the cord and he and Mom went over to the baby’s area of the suite with Mel while she cleaned Lila up and took her vitals and such. Dr. Smith then had to stitch me up (I had a level 2 tear and an episiotomy he had to repair).
We all spent the next hour bonding and talking before it was time for Mel to help me get up and get cleaned up so we could head up to our postpartum room on one of the mother baby floors. It was so nice to have achieved my goal of a completely natural, unmedicated birth. And, I definitely couldn’t have done it without Dom and my mom there. They were both amazing coaches and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Stay tuned for more updates on Lila. . .I’ll sneak them in as I can while she is napping :)
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