2 week dr appt

This morning Sarah had her 2 week dr appt. They did the 2nd part of the genetic testing and a wellness check-up. We found out the genetic testing tests 27 different genetic diseases that could appear within the first 2 weeks of life. This includes things such as kindey disease, sickle cell anemia, etc. They said that they usually don't hear any results for about 30 days, so unless it comes in negative, we will not be getting a call back. The wellness check-up also went very well. She had her eyes, ears, heart, abdomin, and joints checked - they all came out perfect. That is always good to hear :-) I asked the dr about how to change Sarah's backwards sleeping habit and she said that this young there really isn't anything to do. We can try feeding her more during the day and trying to keep her up more, but there is no way to tell if this will work. She will just have to try and figure it out on her own. If she doesn't figure it out soon, I may have to change around my sleeping habits to match hers so I can get a little more sleep!!! The sleep part is definitely starting to weigh a little more on brandon and I. Tomorrow is Christmas, and it will be Sarah's first official day out (other than the drs). This will also be the first time we travel with both her and the pups in the car. The fun part for us is going to be packing EVERYTHING up to take with us! We haven't had to travel with more than just her diaper bag. Well, I am off to see if she will let me get a little shut eye so I am a little more rested tomorrow. Happy Holidays (to all of you who celebrate)!!

Birth Pool - results

We totally forgot to post the results to the birth weight/date pool for Sarah! And the winners are:
Uncle Sal for the weight - he guessed 6.5lbs
Uncle Mitch for the date - he obviously guessed the 14th

We also want to thank everyone for all the cards, calls, gifts, etc. One that we really enjoyed is from Uncle Sal, Aunt Lydia, Christina, Heather, Laura and Nicholas in New York. They sent us an edible fruit arrangement. It was quite delicious! Check out the pics below! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

One week old ALREADY!!

I cannot believe that Sarah is a week old already. She has changed so much in the past week and seems a lot older than a week! I am still going through my healing stage as well as now battling a cold. Otherwise we are all adjusting well. (Knock on wood) Sarah is such a good baby!! The only challenges really are burping and her days and nights are mixed up still. Well, those and just adjusting to having a baby in the home period. But her being an easier baby is definitely a plus for us!
Other than the change in her face, the thing that blows our minds is her strength. She has such strong hand/fingers and feet/toes. She moves her each toe and finger around seperately already and has a grip like you wouldn't believe. The muscles in her neck and head are unbelievable as well. She lifts up her head (from being on her stomach) and will even attempt to turn her head (and even accomplishes it sometimes). Of course we haven't really been around newborns, but we weren't expecting this!
Below are a couple of updated pics. It is hard to catch her with her eyes open and not fussing so we haven't taken an awful lot.

She always has to have at least one hand up...
Oh my gosh her eyes are open :-)

Sarah's First Dr's Appt

Yesterday we had Sarah's first dr's appt. She did extremely well in the car - she LOVES her car seat. She didn't make a peep the whole way there or back (which is about an hours drive total). On the day we were discharged, Sarah weighed 5 lbs 15 ozs. At yesterday's appt she weighed 6 lbs .5 ozs. Needless to say, she is a great eater :-) That was the only measurement that they took yesterday. She has another dr's appt on Christmas Eve so they will probably updates the others then. Before taking her weight, we had to change her into a clean diaper. She had a little stool in her diaper and it had red in it. We saved it to show the dr and he tested it for blood - it came up positive. The day before she was really constipated so it could be from that, or some babies have a little blood during transition from the meconium poop to the real poop, OR it could be that she has an allergy (at least right now) to the protein in cow's milk. He gave us a sample of a hypoallergenic formula to try if the bloody stools continued. So far, she has not had anymore bloody stools, so hopefully it is from one of the first two reasons. The dr continued to check her out and she is completely healthy. YEAH - this is such good news with all that she has been through as well during this pregnancy!!!

SARAH ELIZABETH CHITTOM

Shes here, after twenty five minutes of pushing. Born 4:24 pm on December 14th 2007. She is 6 lbs 6 ounces, and 19 inches long.

check that...baby coming now

full dialation, start pushing soon

The Welcoming commitee is beginning to arrive!

Everything is falling into place. Baby is lower, 6 cm dialation, 90% effacement. Our little baby will be here soon. Dr. Gibson is certain she will be deliver tonight. Our little baby is becoming a peformer already, the more people show up, the farther along she gets. Its so exiting!!!! And Sue is feeling much better since the epidural, but the pain is increasing, so I bet she is going to need to press the button for an extra dose soon...

EPIDURAL thank God!!!

The contractions came super fast after Dr. Gibson broke Sue's water. She didn't even have time to take a rest between contractions, they were so unbearable and quick. So the anestesia team rushed in here and gave her the epidural, and it went super smooth. She resting for now getting ready for pushing, hopefully by this evening.

Its going to be a long day!

The Pitosin has begun!!! Mom and Michelle are here, and they brought pb&j's! Yumm!

Contractions are getting stronger, they are about 3 minutes apart. But active labor has not yet begun. Sleep was hard to come by overnight, so Sue is trying to get some shut-eye right now. They started with a very small dose of pitocin, and they will increase it gradually as the day goes on. But it will probably be this afternoon before active labor begins. She is only 2-3cm right now, they are hoping she can get 1 cm/hr.

Time For Induction

We are here at Sky Ridge Medical Center...we walked in as just a married couple...we are going to walk out as three!!!

Our room was not cleaned so we had to wait thirty minutes before getting all hooked up to the machines (baby monitor, contraction monitor). Sue also just got an IV hooked up, and she says it burns like hell. She had to get the biggest needle possible, just in case she needs blood after delivery. In a few minutes, they are going to put some cream on her cervix that will cause dialation. Hopefully little baby will be here soon, the nurses say sometime tommorow...stay tuned!

Week 38

This afternoon I had my 38 week OB appt. We went over the risks of induction again as well as what is going to happen at induction time (seeing how that MAY come first since it is 3 more days away). Then she checked me internally and said that I am still between 1-2 cm dialated but the good news is that my cervix has dropped since my last check. She said from what she can tell, my body is ready (which is great for induction because my risks decrease). Then she did the painful: stripping my membranes. I knew it was going to hurt, but I didn't mind - I wanted her to do it. It releases a hormone that causes you to go into labor (or sometimes just strong contractions). But anything to help me naturally go into labor, I am game for. She also did a very quick ultrasound to see how she was positioned. The baby is not face up, but not face down either. She is facing my left hip, so she needs to change positions a little bit. It is hard to say at this point if I am going to end up going into labor before induction at this point. We really didn't think that I would make it this far along. So far tonight I am having contractions, and strong ones at that, but nothing to send me to the hospital for. They need to get a little more consistant. So, this is all to report for now. HOPEFULLY the next time I (we) report, I will officially in labor.

Cardiology Appt

Well, I went to see the cardiologist about my heart. She said that it is very common for pregnant women to have a rapid heartbeat because your body is now working for 2. Also, because of how severe my hyperemesis was and for how long, that could play a part on my heart as well. She really wasn't too concerned with it seeing as my EKG and echocardiogram came out ok. She gave me some pills to take as well as a couple technics to try while I am having an "episode". She said that my heart should be back to normal within 30 days of delivery, although I will probably notice it gone within a couple days of delivery. This dr is very familiar with Sky Ridge, so she also told us that they have medicine available to give me via IV should I need it during labor/delivery. I was very pleased to hear all this because your heart is nothing to take lightly and thinking there may be a problem is pretty scary.

Also, my in-laws made it in to town this afternoon (just in time for all of the snow). It is great knowing they are here now and definitely won't miss the birth. Now, it is all up to Sarah to arrive. OR I will be admitted THIS Thurs!!! Tomorrow Brandon is supposed to be working the Broncos game and his mom and I keep teasing him that he won't make it the whole day. Of course he does NOT like hearing that!! Who knows, we may be right :-)

On Monday afternoon, I have another OB dr's appt, so I will be back soon :-)

She MAY be here soon......

Today I had my 37th week appt and heard something interesting. My dr said that I am measuring (externally) between 39 and 40 weeks already. I am really only 37 and 3 days along. She has been saying for the past couple weeks that it is POSSIBLE for little Sarah to come earlier than induction, but today she actually gave her opinion. Her opinion is that she will be born before induction date. This is pretty exciting as everyday I am beginning to feel more and more miserable. I have contractions everyday now, they are just not consistant. Dr Gipson also said that from feeling the outside of my belly, she is predicting Sarah weighs between 6.7 and 7 pounds now (and they gain about 1/2 pound per week). I know they say any baby over 7 pounds is healthier and sleeps better at night, but this scares the crap out of me. It just seems soooo big compared to my weight (and even being late).
One more thing to report: on Thursday I have an appt with a cardiologist about my heart racing problem. On Friday after laying on my side all night, my heart rate was still 122 beats per min. My dr is concerned about this because labor is REALLY going to make my heart race, and if my heart was already 122 calm, we MAY have a little issue. She just wants me to see a cardiologist to see if I need to have meds for labor or a plan to help my heart. It may be something they just deal with as it comes up. So, if I don't have anything to report before my appt, I will be posting again on Thursday. As for now, we are just sitting and waiting!!

Labor: Real or False??

Ok, so I am already frustrated with this labor business!! Not that I am the only person to feel this way, but I REALLY wish there was some way they could tell you if you are having false labor or real labor. Let me explain......
In the middle of the night last night I started having pretty consistant contractions. They got to about 8 mins apart for at least an hour. So, I called the dr to find out what to do. The on call dr called me back and said that if you are between 5-10 mins apart and for at least an hour to go to the hospital and get checked. So, we did - at 1 AM!!! When I got there, the nurse hooked me up to an external monitor to monitor the baby's heart and my contractions. She checked me internally and I was 1 cm dialated. She had me walk around the floor for 2 hours before checking me again to see if I was going to progress. Those 2 hours seemed like forever, but by the end, my contractions were closer together as well as stronger. She hooked me back up to the monitor for 20 mins before checking me again. This time the monitor showed my contractions more consistant at 4 mins apart and more intense (just as I was feeling). BUT when she did my internal check, I was still between 1-2 cm.... which compared to Monday's 0, this was good. However, as far as progression for labor at the moment, it was not fast enough. SO, the nurse sent me home and said she was really confident that I would be back either this afternoon or evening. She said that SHE believed that I was in labor (not active labor) but that my early labor was going to take a while.
This afternoon I went to my OB to get checked again. The news was a little different this time around. She did say that I was dialated to almost 2 cm, but again that isn't fast enough to consider me in active labor. I was still having a lot of cramping and pressure, but my contractions were no longer consistant. She sent me home with some sleeping pills to take if needed because the pain sometimes causes me to not be able to fall asleep. She said that she really couldn't tell us if this is false labor or still the real thing. Ugh, again, I know I am not the first woman to say this.... but WHY can't there be a way to tell. I don't like this not knowing stage. My dr said that all of these internal checks could also cause me to have close intense contractions tonight, so I guess it will be a while before we REALLY know what is going on. She said to go to the hospital when my contractions reach 5 mins apart for at least an hour. BUT, again, doesn't mean it is the real thing - I could be contracting because of all the internal checks. This just seems like a vicious (and torturous) cycle. Now that it is getting late and reaching about the time that my contractions started last night, I am wondering more and more what is going to happen.
Ok, I am done venting now. Thanks for listening :-) Will post again when I know more.

My "fat pics" are here :-)

YEAH!!! Our "belly pics" cd just arrived in the mail today. The lady who took our pictures did an AMAZING job. There are several pics on the cd, so here is just a few of them (ok, a little more than a few :-) )

36 week appointment

This morning was our 36 week appt and it was an interesting one. She did the standard strep b test on me and we will get the results next week. She did if I test positive for strep b, it is not a big deal, I just need to make sure the nurses know during labor/delivery so they can give me an antibiotic in my IV so the baby doesn't contract it during delivery. My dr also did my first internal check. She said that I am not dialated yet, but my cervix is extremely soft. I am 50% efaced which she said was really good. AND she was able to feel the top of the baby's head. She said that baby Sarah's head is extremely low - "her head is right there" is what she said. She was pretty impressed with that. She said that depending on the baby, she can really come at any time. Good thing my hospital bag is packed and ready to go :-)
Michelle is here a couple days helping me finish up the last minute things in the baby's room. She is soooo excited to FINALLY be an auntie!! She says it feels like forever that I have been pregnant.... she doesn't have to tell me twice!
Sleeping is getting a lot harder to do, although I physically and mentally feel a lot more tired than I have. I am having a lot more and stronger contractions, pressure, and cramping. My drsaid this is all normal and my body is preparing me for the delivery of this baby. Feels like torture to me :-) We are definitely feeling the reality that time is getting closer and closer and is just about here.

It's a Girl..... AGAIN!!

Well, yesterday was another ultrasound day. Always exciting when we get to see our little one on the screen. It has been confirmed (for about the 4th time) that it is still a girl. So, here are a few of the stats:
- she weighs approx 5 lbs 7 oz
- she is measuring exactly on her due date
- her head is already really low (not engaged quite yet)
- her head is measuring in the 50th percentile (YEAH, we won't have a big head baby)

While the ultrasound was being done, little Sarah got the hiccups. We were able to see it on screen and it also showed she was still practicing her breathing in between hiccups. The sonographer said this was very impressive to see because it shows great brain development. It tells them that despite the fact she had the hiccups, she was still practicing breathing (as opposed to holding her breath). Oh yeah - another piece of good news... I have gained 2 pounds this week. This puts my total weight gain at 7 pounds now :-)

At my next appt (the Mon after Thanksgiving), I will be getting the strep B test done as well as the dr doing the first cervix check. This appt will be my 36 week. It's too bad they cannot tell us when approx the baby will come. They just come (or don't - hahaha) whenever they want to. They must like to keep everyone in suspense and the anticipation growing :-)

Welcome to Our Blog!!

Hello and welcome to our new blog! We have decided to start one so everyone can check in and see what we are up to/how we are doing whenever it is convenient for them.

To start off, on Monday we received some exciting news from our dr. It has been scheduled with the hospital that I be admitted for induction on Thurs, Dec 13th at 7:30pm. We are still hoping that she decides to come a little early on her own so we won't need to induce. We also have an ultrasound appt on Friday morning to make sure she is still growing ok. This will be our last ultrasound before she is born. They have been VERY exciting for us!!

Please check back this weekend as we will have another posting regarding the info we receive from the ultrasound on Friday!