Nina Colleen Duoss

Well the last eight days have been the craziest, most exciting, fun, challenging and life altering days of our lives. Let me give it to you play by play:

Monday, August 22^nd

We had an appointment with the specialist. Nina hadn’t grown enough in the previous two weeks, so they were concerned that my preeclampsia had set in enough to make it so the placenta was no longer working properly. We headed over to our regular doctor’s office.  The decision was made: delivery time!!

After a stop by Micky D’s for a couple last cheeseburgers, we went into the hospital to get induced. The night was pretty tough; I got so sick from the medication and was having a tough time getting any rest.

Tuesday, August 23^rd

In the morning the nurse told the doctor I wasn’t dealing well with the medication. The doctor came in and explained that Nina’s heart beat had been too fast on the monitors all night and that with the way I was reacting to everything, she was worried about the stress labor would put on the baby. She wanted to test this theory, so she checked me and sure enough Nina’s heart rate dropped. She made the recommendation for a C-section based on what was best for Nina. Nate and I discussed it, and decided to go for it.

Within half an hour of our decision we had our beautiful baby girl!! Nina Colleen Duoss arrived at 9:59 a.m. and weighted in at a whopping 4 lbs. 2 oz. and was 17 in. long.

Wednesday, August 24^th-Saturday August, 27^th

I was kept in the hospital to recover and to have observations done on my blood pressure. My blood pressure did not go down, so I’m currently on blood pressure medication for the next 6 weeks, while my body re-adjusts to no longer being prego. I had rashes on my hands and feet that flared up from all the hormones going nuts, so I had some lovely blisters that are finally healing. I won’t even talk about the swelling. Let’s just say that no know could tell where my knee started and my ankle ended.

Nina was admitted to the INCU. She was super healthy, but just a peanut. She didn’t need any help breathing or antibiotics, which is very unusual for a baby her age. She’s pretty feisty, like her mama. She did need a feeding tube and was kept in a warmer for a few days to help maintain her temp and body weight.

Where we are now:

We are still in the INCU with Nina. She is doing fabulous, she just need to learn to eat 100% on her own without the assistance of a feeding tube. Our pediatrician is hopeful that we can bring her home next week, which we are so excited for.

We feel so blessed that everything went as well as it did and that we are all happy, healthy and safe now. We have a beautiful little girl out of everything and are loving spending every moment with her. She really is amazing! 

Bed Rest Visitors

I have been so bad with pictures! We've had a few more visitors and I totally forgot to take pictures!

My brother and his girlfriend, Stephanie, have been over for dinner a couple nights now. When we got home from the hospital on Tuesday they ran to Chang Mai Thai (in a downpour of rain) and brought food home...so much better than hospital food! It was a great way to celebrate being home again.

Last night we had a game night with Betty! Who knew that it would take 3 adults to figure out how to put together and play "The Game of Life"?!? By the time we got it all set up we only got through one round. Oh well, there will be plenty of bed rest time to have another game night :).

Ben and Gina were also able to stop by last night. Gina and I found out that both of our moms are Reading Recovery teachers. Of course my mom did not let an opportunity pass on handing out info on her website. Besides talking education we got to catch up with both Ben and Gina, which is always nice!!

Thank you to all of you for stopping by, it makes all us feel really good to see our favorite faces!

Book Review: The Hunger Games; Catching Fire & Mocking Jay by Suzanne Collins

So I have been done with both of these books for a few days. Like the first book in this series I read them each in 24 hours. I can’t really tell too much of the plot in each book or it would give away too much of the first book and I want to let you all enjoy it. I’ll just say that the second book picks up where the first left off and the third picks up where the second leaves off.

They are both GREAT reads and super easy. I can honestly say I enjoyed the second book just as much as the first. The third was a little slower pace and ended quickly, but was still really good. I would say the whole series is a must read!! You do have to have a stomach for a little gore, but if you like adventure and stepping into another world, you would like this.

 

Appointment Update

Another full week of appointments down! Bring on 35 weeks!! This week my high blood pressure on Monday earned me another 24 hours in the hospital. This time it really was just for observations. They ran a bunch of tests that take a full 24 hours to complete and monitored me on and off the whole time.

All the tests came back normal, so I’m still just at a mild stage of preeclampsia and got to come home Tuesday night! We were all happy to be able to be back at home and not in the hospital. It is looking like Lady Duoss is hangin’ in there for a bit more!

My blood pressure continues to be high, but not enough to bring me up to the next level of preeclampsia. On Monday we see the specialist again and will find out how she is growing. Last time it was all GREAT news, so we’re thinking she’s still going to be looking good.

Monday will be 35 weeks and we cannot believe we have made it so far from the 30 weeks and we are so close to the end of this adventure and on to another even bigger adventure!

Gettin' an Education: Part 2

We had an exciting afternoon yesterday. We got to go to the second part of our baby class. It was really interesting because it was all about what happens when the baby first arrives. The nurse went over "normal" things that happen, that might not look normal (ex:baby acne, cone head, baby dandruff ect). Here are some of the take aways I totally would not have known:

1. Cool rooms are better for babies, they do not need to be overly warm.
2. Corn starch and/or baby powder can give little girls yeast infections, a cream is a better way to go.
3. The handle on the car seat can't be kept over the baby while in the car, it needs to be put behind the car seat.
4. Sleepy time on the back, play time on the tummy.
5. Play time on the tummy, sitting upright in the corner of a chair or the couch and baby "sit ups" help strengthen the neck and prevents neck problems later in life.
6. Babies either learn to walk or talk first....they don't learn it at the same time. We'll either have an early walker or talker (my guess is talker :).

Just some tid bits I thought were interesting. This makes me realize how much Nate and I will be learning those first few weeks! Get ready!!

Face Time

Ok, so Nate scanned in the 3D pictures of her little face that I mentioned in an earlier post. I won't keep you all in suspense :). Enjoy!

Gettin' an Education

Before I went on bed rest we had signed up for a class on labor and delivery and baby care right after the baby is born. Since it is two hours every Tuesday for a few weeks, our doctors told us we couldn’t do it. The nurse who runs the class was nice enough to schedule a private session with us last night for about an hour.

I never thought I would say this, but is was kinda fun and I learned a lot! If you are a first time parent, I would recommend taking a class like it. I do have to admit that the nurse that was working with us made the class fun and not scary. When we left, Nate even made the comment that she reminded us of our good friend, Betty Benson, which is a huge compliment to her.

The nicest part of getting to attend the class is she told you a lot about the process of what will probably happen. You got to see a lot of the monitors they’ll be using and she explained why they use them and how they work.

The most important part for me was learning about the drugs available to me J. I give women a lot of credit that choose to do this naturally, but for me, it’s going to be all about pain management. My thoughts on this were confirmed after we watched one video of a totally natural birth versus a birth with medicine and an epidural. Nate and I both agreed that if time allows, we’re all about the painkillers.

Saturday we are going for an hour to another class with this nurse to learn about baby care right after the hospital. I’ll admit I’m excited, not only for the class, but because it means anther outing! Double win!

Book Review: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

This story is told through a series of letters between many different characters. The main character is a woman named Juliet that lives in London and is a writer. She is known for her weekly column that she wrote during WW2. She ends up receiving a letter from a man that lives on Guernsey Island. He bought a used book she once owned and had inscribed her information into the cover. He inquires about getting more information on that author and through telling a bit about himself she learns he is apart of a group called The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

The name alone sparks her interest in the group and she eventually ends up becoming good friends with multiple people in the society, writes a long essay that includes information on them and eventually turns into a book. She travels to Guernsey and falls in love with the island and the people she’s been writing to for months.

I thought this was a great book that included a lot of information on that time period and wound a little romance into the story. It’s an easy read and very entertaining. You will enjoy it a lot if you are an avid reader because the main thing that all the characters have in common is a passion for reading and books. 

Bed Rest Bites

After a good long run of days where I was feeling great and getting awesome news from the doctor, I had one major headache that lasted 24 hours…uck. My blood pressure would be up and then down again, so there wasn’t a lot the doctor could do and the cause for concern was minimal.

I’m usually not one to complain, but after 24 hours of pain, 8 Tylenol, 2 sleepless nights, 2 phone calls to the doctor and countless hours in bed with the lights and TV off without a book, I’m feeling a little entitlement to vent my frustrations.

So, here are the 10 ten things I do not like about bed rest. Because it’s simply not in my nature to be a Debbie Downer, I’ll also include my top ten favorite things.

Lindsey’s Top 10 Reasons Bed Rest Sucks

1.     No walks. I usually walk Dexter every day and two or three times a week we do a big walk around Lake Harriet. Nate and my mom have had the pleasure of walking him now, and I get to stay home and hear about the beautiful weather and rose gardens.

2.     No chores. I love “To Do” lists and getting stuff done. With a baby on the way, I’ve had a lot of things I want to get done around the house. Instead of being able to do these things myself, I have to ask others to do them for me. This means there is no nesting period in my future.

3.     Bed rest hurts…literally. Because I was on my feet so much for my job, my legs and back ache from sitting all day. I have to wear these tights that help my circulation, but make me super hot.

4.     No leaving the house. The only time I’ve been out of the house is to go to doctor’s appointments. I’ve resorted to dressing up on these days, because it feels like a special occasion.

5.     You are totally dependent on others. It’s nice to be doted on every once in awhile, but it is not fun depending on someone else to make your food, get you water and bring you things you need.

6.     5 minutes in not long enough to do anything. I have about 5 minutes to be out of bed every hour. I break this rule often and Nate’s most commonly used phrase has become, “Get back in bed” or “Sit down”.

7.     TV starts to make you go crazy. On my days off, I used to catch up on my favorite shows while doing my chores. Now, there are days I cannot stand the sound of the TV and do not want it on at all.

8.     Special events take a backseat. Since there is no leaving the house, there is no attending special events of any kind.

9.     Your digestive system thinks it’s time to take a break. This leads to horrible heartburn and other issues I just won’t go into because it is TMI.

10. No work. I miss my job and co-workers. I enjoy what I do and talking to new people everyday and seeing the people I work with. It’s strange to go from talking for hours at a time and meeting new people everyday to being at your house 24/7.

Lindsey’s Top 10 Enjoyable Moments of Bed Rest

1.     Ice Cream. Nate, my mom and our friends have made sure I always have my favorite treat on hand at all times.

2.     The baby moves all the time! It might just be timing, but because I’m totally focused on relaxing I feel every move she makes. Every time (even at 3 a.m.) it makes me happy to feel her kicking away.

3.     Lots of Dexter time.

4.     Catching up with friends and family. I’ve had so many great conversations I can’t when I’m busy with work and other things. I’ve talked to friends I haven’t in months and the other night I spent hours on the phone with my aunt. I haven’t gotten to do that since high school.

5.     Blogging. From day 1 of being pregnant I wanted to start a baby blog. This didn’t happen until bed rest.

6.     Having my mom here. It’s been awesome to spend time with her.

7.     Having people stop by to visit.

8.     Not being able to cook. I am not good at, and do not enjoy cooking. I do not miss it, even though I rarely did it to begin with.

9.     Ultrasounds twice a week.

10. Everyday we make it through is a day closer to meeting our little girl! After everything we’ve been through in the past few weeks it feels so real that we are having a baby now!

After writing this all down, I do have to say the positives out way the negatives. Enough complaining from me, on to better days!