Merrry Christmas

Jeremy, Madelyn and I went to Eureka for Christmas. It was simple but nice to see everyone. Madelyn was great in the car ride to and from Sacramento. She only cried maybe 20 minutes each way. She sleep pretty much the whole drive, which made me pleasantly surprised. And I had another birthday... the big 27. The number sounds and looks old :(
Jeremy finally got called back to work, unfortunately its in San Jose and he's staying out of town. He calls and says he misses his baby. I've been also working this week. So my great helper Grandma Ginger is taking care of Madelyn during the day. And at night it feels like I'm a single mom trying to get things ready for the following day. I eat dinner when Madelyn is sleeping. And I have to brush my teeth with Madelyn in my arms.

Happy Baby! First Smile!

I got to show off my beautiful baby girl's smile! Madelyn will be 3 months old on the 23rd (my birthday!) I think she is already starting her teething. I guess average teething for babies is at 5 months old. But Madelyn has been drooling a lot lately and she like to chew on her hands.
I think we're going to Eureka for Christmas. It should be interesting to travel 6 hours with a baby... I already know that she needs her own suitcase, and her swing, and stroller, etc. But at least everyone can see her again and also see those who haven't meet he.

Happy December

Madelyn is doing very well lately. We're going to go up to size 2 diapers after we finish off the last box of size 1 diaper. Her size 1 diapers are getting pretty snug around her legs and tummy. Madelyn has been wearing some of her 6 month clothes now. Its sad to say that a lot of her newborn clothes and 0-3 month clothes only got one or a few uses out of them.
The weather has been wet and cold all week. It snowed a couple of inches in Auburn where I work. I had to deliver mail in the snow and drive with chains on my mail truck. I've only been working 2 or 3 days a week. Christmas is going to be tight this year (like last year). I'm trying to be happy because it's Madelyn's first Christmas. But I've been having nightmares about paying bills and money. Jeremy always thinks that everything is fine. But he isn't working and with my two days a week, all I can say that its been stressful on me.

Madelyn is 10 weeks old!

My baby girl is 10 weeks old! She is getting so big. At her 2 month check-up she weighed 12 lbs 4.5 oz and was 23.5 inches long. She got her first round of shots which was hard on me. I sat back in a chair while Jeremy comforted her. Madelyn was fussy after a nap and all that evening. But it was expected. I didn't really want to give shots to Madelyn, but every health care provider recommended them.
My Dad came down for a quick visit yesterday. He really wanted to meet the baby, so it was very nice to see him. Babies grow up so fast in their first year. Her facial features will change and her motor development will change. It's nice that almost all the relatives has met Madelyn. There are a few more people that want to meet her, hopefully everyone will have the chance to see her soon.

Big Blue Eyes!

I've worked two days now and I hate it. I want to be home to raise my baby girl. Jeremy babysat on Saturday and he called me sometime before noon because he getting frustrated. Half a bottle did the trick to sooth Madelyn back down.
Madelyn is starting to smile occasionally. The baby books say that soon she'll be able to squeal in delight. She's still too young to be interested in any toys.
I've had issues with her diapers leaking pee and poop. Last night I changed her P.J.'s twice because of leaking pee. And her first poop of the day leaked up her back on her third set of P.J.'s.

7 weeks and growing like a weed!

Madelyn has grown so much since she was born! She can wear 3 month clothing and some
3-6 month clothing now. She can hold her head up pretty good, but she still likes to rest it on mama's shoulders. Madelyn has started to coo now too. My favorite way to play with her is to mimic what she says. Any day now she is going to give me a big smile. She'll grin at a light on her changing table. She likes circles, black & white art, windows and the outdoors.
I'm going to be back at work soon.... Saturday to more like it. I'm very stressed about leaving Madelyn at home. I feel like I know Madelyn best and she still needs her mama all day long. We'll just see how it goes and hope for the best when I return to work.

More Halloween Pics

Madelyn and I both haven't been feeling well. I have a sore throat and runny nose. And Madelyn has been congested with occasional sneezes and coughs. I tried called the pediatrician today but couldn't get threw the line. Madelyn also has a rash that could be infant acne, but I really don't know. She had pimples on her face, neck, check and upper arms. It flares up when she is crying, in the sun and in warm water. So hopefully we can make an appointment the her doctor to resolve her cold and rash soon.

Happy Halloween

4 weeks

Madelyn is 4 weeks old today, time is going by so fast! She is mostly wearing 0-3 month clothes now. Her newborn onesies are too small for her now. I don't know her current weight, but she is growing :)
I've found out that everyday tasks with an infant are hard to complete. Making and eating food one handed is a learned skill. Today was my first time putting the stroller in my car's trunk. It sounds easy. But I was frustrated because Madelyn was screaming and the stroller wasn't fitting correctly.
I attended a Le Leche League meeting last week and it was every comforting and rewarding to learn more about breastfeeding. Today I went into Target to return a few items and ten minutes into the shopping trip Madelyn was hungry. After a quick checkout I decided that it was best to feed her in the cafe court (instead of going home or feeding her in the car). I sat in the corner and used a shall to cover Madelyn while breastfeeding. I sat there a little uncomfortable, looking up to see if anyone was staring, but no one noticed. I know what is best for my baby and I have every right to feed her in public.

2 week old

I survived the first two weeks! Some nights Madelyn is awesome and wont be fussy at all, and then there are others where she'll cry all night long. Its frustrating trying to figure out what she needs during those long nights. Breastfeeding is going very well now, I saw a lactation specialist at the pediatricians office. She reassure me that Madelyn and I are doing everything right. At her 2 weeks checkup Madelyn weighed 8 lb 0.5 oz and was 21 in long. The doctor was happy that she was pretty much back up to her birth weight.
My mom and step-dad left yesterday after helping us out for 2 weeks. I was very upset when she left. She has been so hopeful around the house. She cooked me every meal and gave me baby advice. I've been emotional (10x if I don't get sleep) since Madelyn was born. I'm waiting for my hormones to get back into normal so I can be myself again. I know that being weepy is very common after delivery, but it makes Jeremy upset when he sees me cry. He does not understand why and he does not know what to do.

One week old

Baby Madelyn is doing great! Her breastfeeding is improving everyday and she is getting less fussy at night. Yesterday the pediatrician said that she looks very good, but she should be up to her birth weight. Yesterday she weighed 7 lb 8.5 oz and was 20.5 in long. The pediatrician wants us to come back next week to re-weigh her. My mom who was a labor and delivery nurse said that she is doing great and my baby is not text book (my labor sure wasn't). My milk only came in 3 days ago and she's not fussing for more milk. I've been feeding her on demand, and sometimes she'll eat for an hour and a half in one sitting. Jeremy and I are so happy with our little family!

Madelyn Rayanne Ramer

Madelyn Rayanne Ramer

Born Sept. 23rd 2009

at 6:34 pm

8 lbs 3 oz

21 in long

39 Weeks (no baby yet!)

I'm 39 weeks pregnant today! Yohoo! I've been felling pretty good. Some days I feel like labor is coming and other days I'm like where are the contractions? I've been getting very strong braxton-hicks contractions every other night or so. I'm going to see a midwife tomorrow for a checkup. They all want labor to be a natural process. The midwives would like to wait for my body to go into labor. They wouldn't induce me until I'm 42 weeks.
I got a call yesterday from labor and delivery to prep me for my c-section today. I'm like, "what? that should have been canceled!" I guess they didn't hear that my baby flipped to head down. I've asked two nurses to cancel it for me. But oh well... I couldn't have had my baby today. I first day of fall.
My mom is in town for the birth. I'm very appreciative that she'll be here to help out with the baby and the house while I'm recovering. She knows a lot about babies and deliveries, so Jeremy and I will be in good hands.

External Version Round Two

After finding out that the baby was breech last week I was very stressed about the scheduled c-section. I really didn't want to have surgery. So I went to the women's center and talked to a doctor that was willing to delivery a baby in a vaginal breech position. After the visit Jeremy really didn't want a vaginal breech delivery because there are too many risks to the baby. The doctor said we could try another external version on Monday (where the doctor manually flips the baby into a head down position). So I went into the hospital yesterday to try for another external version. I just knew that it was going to work. And it did! I've been listening to my instincts this whole pregnancy and I've been right with everything. I thought she was a girl at the 20 week ultrasound. I knew she was breech even though the midwives said no. I knew that the first version wasn't going to work, but the second one would.
After the version I was told to stay vertical and bind my belly so the baby wouldn't flip back. After the version the doctor stripped my membranes to help start labor. Last night I was very uncomfortable. I was having camps and contraction all night, but they went away... I sleep half the night on my reclining sofa to stay more vertical. But I was waking up every hour. I made my way back into bed and then later back onto the sofa.
Every fetal movement I try to make sure she's not flipping back. I believe that she's still head down. My next prenatal appointment is on Thursday with a midwife. Hopefully she has some advise to help engage the baby's head.

37 weeks

Yesterday I went to the midwives for a normal weekly checkup at 3:30 pm and ended up in labor and delivery until 10pm. Everything was going fine at the appointment, after she did a pelvic exam she said that I was 1 cm dilated but I wasn't effaced. She couldn't tell if the baby was head down or not. I told her that I have a fear that my baby is breech. And within minutes I was in the ultrasound room where it was conformed that the baby is indeed breech.
I decided to try for an inversion, where they would push on my tummy to flip the baby to head down. So Jeremy and I went to the labor and delivery unit for a non stress test so the Dr. can start the inversion. The fetal heart monitor was picking up that the baby was sleeping, they wanted to see more drips in the heart rate. And I was already contracting every 2 1/2 minutes. After some juice and rolling from side to side the Dr. finally felt comfortable to try the inversion. I got a shot to stop my contractions. And OMG the inversion hurt! It felt like she was ripping my skin open. The Dr. got the butt out of my pelvis, but that's about all. She tried again 1/2 hour later along with another shot to stop my contractions. By the baby wasn't moving.
So what do I do now? They said I can have a breech vaginal delivery if I get a CAT- scan and if my pelvis if wide enough. Or I can schedule a c-section 7-10 days before my due date. In future pregnancies this hospital wont to VBAC's, so if I want a VBAC then I'll have to go to a large hospital that would allow me to.
I feel so disappointed that I picked this hospital to have a natural water birth. And now I'm going to have a c-section. This hospital is like 40 minutes from my house. If I would have known that I was going to have a c-section that I would have picked one closer to home.