Birth Story and much more
It's been quite a few weeks since my last significant post. I apologize for the delay, but I have been a little bit occupied. :-) So much has changed and I really want to put it into words so I don't forget. These are pages I'll add to Tobiah's baby book as I get these thoughts into print.
On Monday, July 25th I had an appointment with my midwife, as I was 1 full week overdue at that point. She checked me to see if my body was progressing toward the birth process. Everything was looking great, except that I was not dialating at all. I was given a couple of options at that point. I was informed that I would not be allowed to go beyond 2 weeks overdue, so by the following Monday I would have to be induced if the baby hadn't made his appearance yet. I was also told that if I didn't go into labor before that coming Wednesday, I would have to come in for an Ultrasound to see how my amniotic fluid levels were, and if they were low (which we later found out that they were low) then I would have to be induced. My third option was to schedule a time to come to the hospital for a dose of Cytotec (sp?) which helps with the dialation process. As the body works, then the contractions are supposed to start as well....
Well, I was really torn about what to do. I had always wanted and prayed for a natural labor and delivery. This seemed kind of like cheating the system, however I was very against going the route of Pitocin to start the contractions, so I prayed about it a lot that afternoon and scheduled my time to go into the hospital at 9:00PM Monday night. I was starting to have more contractions at home that afternoon and in the car on the way to the hospital. This is significant, because the contractions that I had been having previously would always stop when I sat down and rested. These kept going, and when I got checked into the hospital they hooked me to the monitors and noticed that I was having regular contractions as well. (I wasn't stuck in prodromal labor anymore)! However, I still was not dialating, so I received my first dose of the Cytotec around 10:00 PM. Now, the plan for the hospital staff (and the 'normal' process) is that they administer four doses of this medication through a 6-8 hour period, and then start Pitocin if contractions do not start on their own. Well, Praise God that I only needed that first does, because everything was starting to happen very fast.
The midwives were planning to deliver my baby the afternoon of 7/26, but God and I had other plans! :-) Through the next few hours, everything started to progress just as it was supposed to naturally, and I was able to make it through the entire process without any pain medications. The nurses were shocked, as was the midwife on call, who thought I would not go until the following afternoon.
I'm really happy about this, and SO VERY THANKFUL for the book, Supernatural Childbirth, that gave me the right perspective on this process. I was in active labor for approximately 4 hours and pushed for just under 1 hour - and our little Tobiah William was born at 5:21 AM. (Darek has recounted all of this on his blog as well in greater detail if you are interested.)
This was an amazing experience!! It is still surreal as I sit here writing and look over to see my baby boy in his little chair next to me, discovering his hands and staring at the ceiling fan. The thought of being parents and being responsible for this precious life is sometimes overwhelming.
Tobiah is perfect! He's healthy and grew from 7lbs when we left the hospital to 7lbs 11.5oz at his 2 week appointment!! I guess he's getting plenty to eat. ;) On that note, we have had a little learning to do regarding the whole eating / burping / sleeping experience. Tobiah is overcoming some minor reflux type issues, and needs to be held upright and burped for about 15-20 minutes after eating before we can lay him on his back. It does take patience, but I think we finally have a good rhythm down. I can tell when he's gassy or just trying to fill his diaper. This has taken a lot of trial, error and patience through screaming bouts. Darek doesn't handle the screaming well, but it usually only lasts a few minutes and we are able to get him settled down. I always feel really bad when that happens, but I have to remind myself that Toby's only way of communicating it through his coos, and cries. It's up to us to observe and learn what the different body language and noises mean. I have also learned the hard way that the breezes we so enjoy from outside are not good for a newborn, as they swallow that air and it creates extra gas in their system. - Sorry Tobiah - We learned that one the hard way. (Thank goodness for my parents and their tips on these simple things. I have already learned a lot from them.)
Tobiah has so many precious expressions that speak volumes. We lovingly refer to them as 'The Many Faces of Darek' as he does resemble his father! It's fun to look at him and guess what he is saying based on Darek's expressions that look the same.
One of my favorite things is listening to him talk himself to sleep. He's just so adorable!!
A few firsts to mention:
A visit to meet the neighbors on his second day home. He met G.J., Tim & Sue, and Dave... Then Karen, Jon and Jacque from next door came over a couple of days later. They were itching to meet the little guy!
We had quite the gathering his first Saturday home with Uncle Mark, Grandma and Grandpa Schwarz, Grandma Kayla, Mike, Emily & Zeke, and Jeff & Julie Eaton. It was a busy day, and he slept well that night.
Our first walk was through the neighborhood and past the elementary school. We didn't go far, as Mommy was really tired, but it was still fun. We were sporting the Jeep stroller!! :-) We have taken a few walks since, to the post office, and with Hunny around the neighborhood. He seems to enjoy it, but we are more careful about the breeze now.
We have had many trips to Target by now, but he did go to Target his first day home with Grandma Kayla and I. We had just a few more things to pick up while we were out. He slept the entire time!
My first day home alone with him was the Monday, his 6th day of life! :-) We did really well together. I just figured that millions of people do this every day so I can figure it out. And I did!
A few days later I developed Mastitis and was feeling like I got hit by a truck. Darek and my Dad were great taking care of me, and then LuAnn came up that Friday to help out, as Darek needed to be at work that day. She ironed our clothes, made me waffles and left us with a dish of Mexican Lasagna which we ate over the next few days for lunch and supper. (It's nice not always having to cook and plan meals right now). I was placed on 48 hour bed-est, which was like torture to me. I don't know how some people are on bed-rest for months. I just can't seem to sit still even when ordered to. We were supposed to join Darek's family at the Twins game that night, but unfortunately I was not allowed to, even though I was feeling much better by then. We are planning to have that experience this next Monday, Aug. 22.
It was great having my mom here for a few days after we got home with Tobiah, and then my dad stayed a few days longer. (Bummer it couldn't have been longer). Their help was much appreciated! I do wish we lived closer so they could come see him more often. We will have Skype soon! Thank goodness for technology! ;-)
We had our first restaurant meal out at Axel's (very yummy) this past Saturday with Great Grandpa & Grandma Rasmussen! They wanted to come meet Tobiah and we were SO glad to introduce him to them. :-) They came over for a little while afterward and Grandma held him for a while (until he started fussing).
Tobiah had his first 'real' bath in his bathtub last night. It started out well, but he ended up getting too cold and then became mad. I don't blame him, and I did feel terrible. I need to practice that a little more so he doesn't hate bath time. We will get it down soon!
One last thing... The week Tobiah was born was very hot and humid, and wouldn't you know that our A/C went out. (Sorry Mom!) Well, we were totally blessed through that. My dad acquired an A/C unit for free from a neighbor of my sister-in-law, Suzy. It is an older, used unit, but our neighbor, Dave, was willing to install it and fix the very minor issue with it. It's up and running and working well! We were able to avoid the $2500 it would have taken to buy a new one, and simply pay Dave for his labor for the install. What a HUGE blessing!! Thank you, Jesus for watching out for us like you always do!
Alright, I best get back to work. I know this is long, but I wanted to get these thoughts down while they were still semi-fresh in my memory.
On Monday, July 25th I had an appointment with my midwife, as I was 1 full week overdue at that point. She checked me to see if my body was progressing toward the birth process. Everything was looking great, except that I was not dialating at all. I was given a couple of options at that point. I was informed that I would not be allowed to go beyond 2 weeks overdue, so by the following Monday I would have to be induced if the baby hadn't made his appearance yet. I was also told that if I didn't go into labor before that coming Wednesday, I would have to come in for an Ultrasound to see how my amniotic fluid levels were, and if they were low (which we later found out that they were low) then I would have to be induced. My third option was to schedule a time to come to the hospital for a dose of Cytotec (sp?) which helps with the dialation process. As the body works, then the contractions are supposed to start as well....
Well, I was really torn about what to do. I had always wanted and prayed for a natural labor and delivery. This seemed kind of like cheating the system, however I was very against going the route of Pitocin to start the contractions, so I prayed about it a lot that afternoon and scheduled my time to go into the hospital at 9:00PM Monday night. I was starting to have more contractions at home that afternoon and in the car on the way to the hospital. This is significant, because the contractions that I had been having previously would always stop when I sat down and rested. These kept going, and when I got checked into the hospital they hooked me to the monitors and noticed that I was having regular contractions as well. (I wasn't stuck in prodromal labor anymore)! However, I still was not dialating, so I received my first dose of the Cytotec around 10:00 PM. Now, the plan for the hospital staff (and the 'normal' process) is that they administer four doses of this medication through a 6-8 hour period, and then start Pitocin if contractions do not start on their own. Well, Praise God that I only needed that first does, because everything was starting to happen very fast.
The midwives were planning to deliver my baby the afternoon of 7/26, but God and I had other plans! :-) Through the next few hours, everything started to progress just as it was supposed to naturally, and I was able to make it through the entire process without any pain medications. The nurses were shocked, as was the midwife on call, who thought I would not go until the following afternoon.
I'm really happy about this, and SO VERY THANKFUL for the book, Supernatural Childbirth, that gave me the right perspective on this process. I was in active labor for approximately 4 hours and pushed for just under 1 hour - and our little Tobiah William was born at 5:21 AM. (Darek has recounted all of this on his blog as well in greater detail if you are interested.)
This was an amazing experience!! It is still surreal as I sit here writing and look over to see my baby boy in his little chair next to me, discovering his hands and staring at the ceiling fan. The thought of being parents and being responsible for this precious life is sometimes overwhelming.
Tobiah is perfect! He's healthy and grew from 7lbs when we left the hospital to 7lbs 11.5oz at his 2 week appointment!! I guess he's getting plenty to eat. ;) On that note, we have had a little learning to do regarding the whole eating / burping / sleeping experience. Tobiah is overcoming some minor reflux type issues, and needs to be held upright and burped for about 15-20 minutes after eating before we can lay him on his back. It does take patience, but I think we finally have a good rhythm down. I can tell when he's gassy or just trying to fill his diaper. This has taken a lot of trial, error and patience through screaming bouts. Darek doesn't handle the screaming well, but it usually only lasts a few minutes and we are able to get him settled down. I always feel really bad when that happens, but I have to remind myself that Toby's only way of communicating it through his coos, and cries. It's up to us to observe and learn what the different body language and noises mean. I have also learned the hard way that the breezes we so enjoy from outside are not good for a newborn, as they swallow that air and it creates extra gas in their system. - Sorry Tobiah - We learned that one the hard way. (Thank goodness for my parents and their tips on these simple things. I have already learned a lot from them.)
Tobiah has so many precious expressions that speak volumes. We lovingly refer to them as 'The Many Faces of Darek' as he does resemble his father! It's fun to look at him and guess what he is saying based on Darek's expressions that look the same.
One of my favorite things is listening to him talk himself to sleep. He's just so adorable!!
A few firsts to mention:
A visit to meet the neighbors on his second day home. He met G.J., Tim & Sue, and Dave... Then Karen, Jon and Jacque from next door came over a couple of days later. They were itching to meet the little guy!
We had quite the gathering his first Saturday home with Uncle Mark, Grandma and Grandpa Schwarz, Grandma Kayla, Mike, Emily & Zeke, and Jeff & Julie Eaton. It was a busy day, and he slept well that night.
Our first walk was through the neighborhood and past the elementary school. We didn't go far, as Mommy was really tired, but it was still fun. We were sporting the Jeep stroller!! :-) We have taken a few walks since, to the post office, and with Hunny around the neighborhood. He seems to enjoy it, but we are more careful about the breeze now.
We have had many trips to Target by now, but he did go to Target his first day home with Grandma Kayla and I. We had just a few more things to pick up while we were out. He slept the entire time!
My first day home alone with him was the Monday, his 6th day of life! :-) We did really well together. I just figured that millions of people do this every day so I can figure it out. And I did!
A few days later I developed Mastitis and was feeling like I got hit by a truck. Darek and my Dad were great taking care of me, and then LuAnn came up that Friday to help out, as Darek needed to be at work that day. She ironed our clothes, made me waffles and left us with a dish of Mexican Lasagna which we ate over the next few days for lunch and supper. (It's nice not always having to cook and plan meals right now). I was placed on 48 hour bed-est, which was like torture to me. I don't know how some people are on bed-rest for months. I just can't seem to sit still even when ordered to. We were supposed to join Darek's family at the Twins game that night, but unfortunately I was not allowed to, even though I was feeling much better by then. We are planning to have that experience this next Monday, Aug. 22.
It was great having my mom here for a few days after we got home with Tobiah, and then my dad stayed a few days longer. (Bummer it couldn't have been longer). Their help was much appreciated! I do wish we lived closer so they could come see him more often. We will have Skype soon! Thank goodness for technology! ;-)
We had our first restaurant meal out at Axel's (very yummy) this past Saturday with Great Grandpa & Grandma Rasmussen! They wanted to come meet Tobiah and we were SO glad to introduce him to them. :-) They came over for a little while afterward and Grandma held him for a while (until he started fussing).
Tobiah had his first 'real' bath in his bathtub last night. It started out well, but he ended up getting too cold and then became mad. I don't blame him, and I did feel terrible. I need to practice that a little more so he doesn't hate bath time. We will get it down soon!
One last thing... The week Tobiah was born was very hot and humid, and wouldn't you know that our A/C went out. (Sorry Mom!) Well, we were totally blessed through that. My dad acquired an A/C unit for free from a neighbor of my sister-in-law, Suzy. It is an older, used unit, but our neighbor, Dave, was willing to install it and fix the very minor issue with it. It's up and running and working well! We were able to avoid the $2500 it would have taken to buy a new one, and simply pay Dave for his labor for the install. What a HUGE blessing!! Thank you, Jesus for watching out for us like you always do!
Alright, I best get back to work. I know this is long, but I wanted to get these thoughts down while they were still semi-fresh in my memory.
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