Caleb's Birthday

This post has been a long time coming, and I wanted to write down everything somewhere before I forgot about it! So here goes....

My original due date was August 5th, but at the end of May, I started feeling lots of Braxton-Hicks contractions, but they were irregular. I thought it was no big deal, and it really wasn't. However, that is also the time when my blood pressure began to rise a little bit at a time. We were out to lunch one Sunday afternoon and I just felt "puffy." I had an inkling that maybe my BP was high. I stopped in a CVS store and took my pressure and sure enough, it was. Usually my BP runs about 110/70ish and on this day, it was 138/89 and 139/85. Yikes! I called the doctor and he said that as long as I didn't have vision problems or right upper quadrant pain, I was fine.

On the morning of July 12th, I woke up having non-painful contractions every 8 minutes, on the dot. This lasted for 8 hours, all night long.... so being the first-time-mom that I am, I waited until Mike woke up and told him about it. He suggested that I call the doctor, so I did. The doctor told me that I could either come into the hospital and be put on a monitor and he would see me when he got a chance... or I could wait until 9am and go into the office and wait for a few hours. We opted for the hospital.

We spent the morning there and found that I was having regular BH contractions, but that wasn't the issue. It turns out that my BP was well above the 130s/90s, and they would test me for pre-eclampsia. Long story short, I was put on bed rest and would probably be induced a week early. Bed rest was not so bad because I got to quit working (yay!) and my pregnancy would be reduced by about a week (yay!). I worked a million crossword puzzles, slept, and watched TV. It was glorious, a break that I really really needed with all the stress that had been in my life.

During my time on bed rest, I was required to come into the dr's office twice a week for a non-stress test, just to make sure my pressure isn't skyrocketing and the baby is healthy. This includes sitting in a lounge chair with monitors strapped to my belly, watching TV. Again, glorious. And the nurses in the office are absolutely wonderful, so it was nice to get to see them several times a week.

We went in on Tuesday night, July 26th to be induced. I ate one last big meal at TX Roadhouse and went to the hospital, thinking we might have a baby in our arms in about 24 hours. This was not to be. That night they gave me an Ambien (for what would be my last good night's sleep) and started Cervidil, a small vaginal insert that would soften my cervix and possibly put me into labor. The next morning (Wednesday), I had not progressed AT ALL. I was not in any pain, so I just sat tight and waited. After another dose of Cervidil, I had only made about 2-3 cm progress, and still no strong contractions. I was having them regularly, but they didn't hurt. This was nice, but I wanted them to hurt because pain = progress. Next the doctor gave me several doses of Cytotec, a pill inserted vaginally, and that didn't work either. The little dude was just not ready! They continued to give me Cytotec all day, but nothing happened. Overnight, they began the Pitocin, which I thought would kick things into high gear, but alas, it did NOT. The contractions were becoming a little more uncomfortable, but I wasn't in a lot of pain, just getting impatient. Normally to get labor going, one would take walks... but because of my BP being so high, I was only allowed a few walks a day and only 1-2 laps around the unit.

Finally on Thursday, they inserted a "balloon," that would stretch my cervix open and OH MAN did it ever. After several hours, I was up to 5-6 cm. Yay! IT was at this point that the anesthesiologist told me that he would not be able to give me an epidural, which I had prepared myself for. (I couldn't get the epidural because I have rods in my back from scoliosis surgery 10 years ago) I was in such pain that I requested some short-term relief in Nubane. This was an IV drug that was administered that knocked me out completely for about 4 hours. I decided to do this because I knew that I had a long day/night ahead of me and would need all my strength. The Nubane was amazing, but when I woke up, I was in full-on, hard labor. And before I knew it, I was at 8cm and then at 10cm! Time to push!

I pushed for 2 hours, and he was just not gonna make it out. Because of the rods in my back and their placement, I was not able to "bear down" and push like I needed to. Then Dr. R suggested a c-section. I really didn't want this, but I knew it would be best for the baby and me. I was completely spent. Dr. R told me that I was a trooper, pretty much endured every obstetrical intervention there is, to no avail. SO as I was in incredible pain and exhausted from pushing, they wheeled me into the OR for a c-section. The anesthesiologist tried to get a spinal block in, but was unable, so they knocked me out.

Caleb Michael was born via c-section (and me under general anesthesia) on Friday, July 29th at 12:19am. He weighed 7# 14 oz and was 21 3/4 inches long. Mike wasn't allowed in the OR so he sat with his parents and my Dad in the hospital room when they brought Caleb in to see him.

We had the most fabulous nurses the whole time we were there, I really couldn't complain. One, in particular, came back from the OR to the hospital room and grabbed Mike's camera since he wasn't permitted in there. She took great pictures, even got a shot of Caleb leaving my womb. Amazing! And a little gross.

Baby Caleb has been such a blessing. He started sleeping thru the night pretty consistently at about 8 weeks, except for a few times when he woke up around 4am. Now, at 3.5 mos old, he sleeps 8 hours! Not too shabby, huh? My MIL was there for me that first week home with the baby, and took such good care of me when Mike had to go back to work.

We were so blessed by our wonderful friends and family here in Indy and TX. We love you all! Again, I have no idea if anyone actually reads this, so if you have read this post all the way through, CONGRATS.

More to come later....
Rachel <><

Breaking the Silence

So this evening I got on my blog, wondering when the last post was... it was on June 20th!! AND it also showed that I am currently 53 weeks pregnant. OUCH! My goodness, it has sure been a while since I updated. Well, I'm back... for now.

A lot has changed since the last blog post. I would like to take some time and update it, but I won't make any promises. So in the meantime, here are some updates:

-We had a fabulous Babymoon in Louisville, KY where we shopped, ate out, and just enjoyed eachother.
-I lost my mom to ovarian cancer on July 3rd. I have been wanting to blog about this for a while, it's just hard to find the right words.
-On July 12th, I was put on modified bed rest due to high blood pressure.
-I had a baby, precious Caleb Michael Couts was born on Friday, July 29th at 12:19am. I hope to type out his birth story before I forget it completely!
-On September 26th, I went back to work part-time and it's working out great!

I hope to speak to all of these points soon. Stay tuned for more updates!

Much love to whoever reads this.... :)

Lately

June has proven to be the quickest and busiest month we've had in a long time! We have something almost every night, in addition to the regular busy-ness! Unfortunately, my body has decided that it's time for me to slow down, but more on that later.

1. The first week of June Mike started planting a flower bed in our front yard. I took some pictures a couple hours ago, but have decided not to post them because almost all the pots (plants that have not yet been planted) are laying on their sides due to the crazy storm we had last night/this morning. Mike has been busy planting some calla lilies and oriental lilies in the flower bed after he pulled up the ugly bushes that came with the house. Once he pulled them up, we realized that we had a massive amount of ground to cover. Neither one of us is proficient in garden design, so this is very much a trial and error thing. I'll post pictures when it is finished!

2. Earlier this month we worked super-hard to get the baby's room ready... mostly because we had maternity pictures coming up! It's a good thing we got a head-start on that (before the shower) because we found out that they are discontinuing our whole bedding theme and everything was on clearance! I would be really annoyed if we had waited, and everything was discontinued, and we weren't able to continue the adorable Noah's Ark theme! (And NO, his name will not be Noah) Here are some pictures!

3. Maternity Pictures! On June 8th, we had maternity pictures taken by Nate Crouch Photography, (http://www.natecrouch.com/) and we had a blast! We've been friends with Nate and his wife, Sarah for years. It was such a fun shoot, and it was especially fun because it was with our good friends. We have not bought the package yet, so if you want to see the pictures, you'll have to head over to my facebook page.

4. I am down to doctors appointments every 2 weeks now, and this will continue until week 35 or 36, when I'll start going every week. It's getting tiring and killing my sick time... but then again, it's kind of fun because it's getting closer all the time!!

5. My energy has taken a significant nose dive. It's like I'm back to the first trimester energy level. I can bring a basket of laundry down the stairs, put it in the washer, take a load out of the dryer and fold it and... I'm DONE. SO tired. Plus, last week I was sick with another round of coughing, head congestion, no voice, etc. We had family over for Father's Day celebration a week early, and getting ready for company and cleaning up afterwards completely took it out of me, even though my fabulous MIL came over and helped. She's an angel, by the way. :) Mike is having to help me out a little more, but honestly I don't think he understands how much more he'll have to help me once baby comes. He's in for a rude awakening.

6. We went to our first baby class on Saturday, Newborn Express. This class included instruction on how to care for your baby in the first month (touched on breastfeeding, car seat installation, bathing, soothing, feeding, swaddling, etc) and also Infant CPR. We met some really nice couples, and even a couple who had their baby 5 weeks early, so their baby was actually at the class! It was definitely an eye-opening experience for Mike, who realized that he didn't know as much as he thought about caring for a newborn. He was a bit overwhelmed, but so glad to have the information.

7. We start our 5-week Lamaze class this week. It's becoming more real now! I'm really excited to watch Mike go through these classes.

8. Blood pressure scare:: Yesterday at church I was feeling extra-puffy, and I had a hunch that my blood pressure was too high.... well I was right. After we saw The Green Lantern yesterday, we stopped at CVS and I had my pressure tested twice, at 138/87 and 135/88.... scared me to death! In church I felt like my knees were puffy, and I could hardly hold a pen b/c my fingers felt so big. I called the doctor and because of the lack of other symptoms, he said that I didn't have anything to worry about... whew! We're not ready for a baby at 33 weeks!! My BP is usually in the 100s/70s, so this was a pretty big leap. But I go for my regular 2-week appt on Wednesday so we'll see what it is on that day.

This is me at 33 weeks 3 days... livin' LARGE!

That's all that has happened up to this point. Plenty of crazy times to come! But I say, bring it on!! Only 6.5 weeks till baby!!! Woo hoo!

Pregnancy Must-Haves

I have been wanting to make a post like this recently and now I'm finally getting around to it! Here are some of the top products that have made my pregnancy easier and more comfortable so far.

1. The Snoogle Pillow: This has kept me comfortable when sleeping in bed, especially since you're supposed to sleep on your left side, and I almost always roll over on my back... this keeps me supported around my neck, back, between my knees, and even under my belly! I would recommend this to any of my pregnant friends, or really anyone who desires total comfort when sleeping! When I first started using it, I had one of those "where have you been all my life?" moments. The only problem is that it takes up a lot of space on the bed, leaving precious little space for my sweetie.

2. Boppy Pregnancy Wedge: Yes, another pillow. I like to use this when sleeping on the couch (or just laying down anywhere) because it goes right under the belly. Mike kept telling me that I needed it, but I told him it wasn't necessary because I would often just bunch up a blanket and put it under my belly. But he went out one night and bought it, and it's been wonderful. I'm kind of a princess when it comes to my pillows, this is why I love it so much.

3. Good water bottle: I drink more water than a fish, so having a good, sturdy water bottle has been important. I have a Rubbermaid water bottle that I refill constantly. This sounds like a small thing, but always having that water has kept me energized on a number of occasions!


4. Mesh lumbar support: This has been a back-saver for me in the past few weeks as I'm getting more and more uncomfortable in my work chair. I spend what seems like 4,986,235 hours in it each week, so comfort is a must. I bought it at Fry's Electronics for $6.99 and it has more than paid for itself! It could also be one of the reasons for the disappearance of my sciatica... hmmm... It's mesh, too, so it keeps me cool in this super-hot home office.

5. Motherhood Maternity stores: OMG. They have the best clothes! The prices are reasonable, the staff is helpful, and the clothes are comfortable and very cute. Most of what you see me wearing in pictures came from Motherhood. Their prices are reasonable enough that I can buy new clothes when I have outgrown some of my maternity clothes. I didn't know you could outgrow them though!

6. Preggie Pops: These little babies were wonderful when I was in my first trimester, especially weeks 6-10, as I would feel a little green if I went too long without something in my tummy. They are kind of sour, but not too much, and are a good distraction when not feeling so hot.

Well that's all I can think of for now. I'm sure that after the little dude comes, I'll post again, with my "Mommy Must-haves." That will be a fun post!

Growing Bigger and BIGGER!

That's pretty much all that's going on with me these days! Today I am 30 weeks and 5 days pregnant and I can't believe that we get to meet our son in hopefully about 9 weeks! I also can't believe that I'm actually going to get bigger, and this baby only weighs about half of what he should weigh at birth! Crazy! I really can't complain too much because so many women have very difficult pregnancies that include a lot of sickness and bed rest... but sometimes it feels good to have a good, old-fashioned whine! But I won't do that here. :)

One very good thing is that my sciatica has all but disappeared in the 3rd trimester! This is a huge praise because it was almost debilitating most days starting in the 2nd trimester. Now I'm struggling with getting comfortable just about anywhere. A few weeks ago I dealt with the worst allergies ever, and spent a few nights sleeping in the reclining sofa because it was easier to not be flat on my back or on my side at night. Then I tried to lay down one night in bed and got no sleep.... so I started sleeping in my LaZBoy recliner in the upstairs game room. Slept like a baby! Then I got lonely and so Mike moved it into our bedroom so I can at least be in the same room with him. This has made a huge difference... until this week. Nothing is working! I'm tempted to try sleeping in the bed tonight just to see how it works.


Ever since I found out I was pregnant, I've been sleeping differently, but it has been helped tremendously by this little baby--- the SNOOGLE pillow. I freaking love it!! I would recommend it to all of my pregnant friends, as it supports you in all the right places! The only problem is that it puts up a wall between Mike and me at night... but sometimes if I wake up before him, I see him snuggling right up to it! So cute! Soon I'll put up a post about pregnancy must-haves! It will definitely be on the list.


Also getting thru work is getting harder because I'm running out of breath if I don't sit up perfectly straight. Not sure how I'm gonna make it the next 9 weeks!


But probably the most fun has been the increased activity in my belly. It's so neat to feel that little one moving around so vigorously, almost all day long, and fun for Mike to feel it. He gets a kick out of looking at my deformed stomach sometimes, and how it changes shape. Truly a miracle!


Well, June is upon us now, which means we are starting the busiest 2 months ever. This month I start going to the doctor more often, we have child birth classes, baby classes, maternity pictures, in addition to our normal summer busy activities. Hopefully I can keep up with the blogging. Haha, right!!

I'm gonna be a CD Mama!

And no, I don't mean compact disc... I'm talking about cloth diapers! Not long after we found out we were having a baby, we started looking at the finances, and I took it upon myself to find ways to save money so that we're not spending a small fortune on this baby, especially in certain areas. Having a baby is expensive, sure... but it's all about the small ways that we can save a few bucks here and there... cloth diapers, making our own baby food, buying at consignment sales and resale shops... the list goes on. One of the biggest ways we plan on saving money is by using cloth diapers!

Here are some reasons why we are choosing to go this route:

- Cost... most of the studies I read found that using cloth will save us approximately $2000-$2500 from birth to potty training. This is the biggest reason we chose to go this route. This also includes the extra cost that it will take to wash the diapers, which is usually estimated at around $15 per month. Still, a huge savings. And who knows, since we recently got a new w/d that is super energy-efficient. With my stash, I plan on washing every 3 days or so, but we'll see.

- Trash factor... I hate trash. So. Much. I also hate throwing away our money, which is what we do when we throw out diapers. Also, the bacteria from poo doesn't break down in landfills... EWW. And if you read carefully, most disposable diaper packages will tell you (in fine print) to dump out solid waste (in the toilet) before you throw away the diaper... which is what we'll do with cloth.

- Potty training studies... I read most places that cloth diapered babies potty train 6 months earlier because they notice the feeling of wetness easier, as the chemicals don't immediately suck away the moisture.

- Baby safety and comfort... babies in CD typically have fewer rashes. There are chemicals in disposables that can cause rashes. Also babies typically have fewer blowouts because these diapers are more customizable to baby's body shape. And how many times do we hear ads about sposies that claim, "feels like cloth"? Why not just use cloth?

- Fashion... OK let's be honest. The diapers they make these days are so stinkin' cute. They're hard to resist. :)

- Ease of washing... these are really not that hard to clean, and after a while, the laundry doesn't seem as crazy, depending on the size of your stash and how often you plan on washing them. One thing I love is that breastfed poo is water soluble, so those diapers don't even need to be rinsed before they go into the washer.... just throw the whole thing in there. Score.

Some things I want to make clear though:

- We are not those people who say that they will never allow a disposable to go near their baby's bottom, heaven forbid!! NO, we realize that sometimes we will have to use them for various reasons like multi-day car travel or going places that don't have washers and dryers. But we will go cloth 90% of the time. We are not opposed to having babysitters or family members use sposies if that makes them more comfortable, even though our diapers that we chose are very user-friendly.

- I don't consider myself a "green freak" or "tree hugger," just trying to be more responsible with money and not creating more trash on this planet.

So here's what we have so far! What you see below cost just below $400 total, and we plan on using these from birth to potty. Some people find that sposies are better for the first few weeks when baby is extra-skinny, so we'll have to play that by ear. Little Dude is already measuring a bit big, so who knows!

Our stash:

What you see in the above picture: (from L-R, top row then bottom row)
First row:
-Thirsties Duo Wrap cover, size 1 (6-18#), $12.25
-Econobum covers (set of 3), one-size (6-35#), $9.95 each or you can get the day pack with 3 covers and 12 prefolds (what I did) for $48.95
-bumGenius pocket diapers (set of 12-- well, 11, as 1 came in pink by mistake), one-size (6-35#), and each diaper came with a newborn insert and a one-size insert which will be good for doubling overnight if we have a heavy wetter. ~$120 for all of them, but I got them on sale. They usually retail for about $17.95 each, being the most expensive. However, they are the most "daddy-friendly," and Mike is actually perfectly fine using these. But we'll see, LOL!
Second row:
-Econobum prefold diapers (set of 12), one-size (came with the day pack, mentioned above)
-Snappi (set of 2) $2.99 each, this takes the place of diaper pins for the prefolds, if needed.
-Flip diaper inserts (set of 3), one-size, $6.95
-One-size inserts for pocket diapers such as bumGenius (set of 12)
-Kawaii pocket diaper, one-size (6-35#), $7.95 (the cheapest pocket diaper I've seen and the cutest, with the little soccer balls on it!)
-Not pictured are 2 Flip Diaper covers and 6 inserts that should arrive here in the next few weeks, as they were on back order. This day pack cost $48.95.
-Also not pictured would be the detergent that I got, Rockin' Green detergent that is ~$15 for 90 loads in our HE washer and dryer.

What's that, you say? Well this is the bumGenius Diaper Sprayer (~$45.00)! This will come in more handy when baby is pooping solids and not exclusively breastfed. This attaches to the toilet, and you just dump the poo in there, and use the sprayer instead of the old-fashioned "dunk" method. Which, personally, sounds absolutely disgusting. We also bought a diaper pail, liners, etc which cost some also, but not much.

So for less than $400, we have bought hopefully all the diapers that we'll need for this baby, not including the sposie every now and then. This gives us 34 diaper changes, so at the beginning I'll wash about every 2-3 days, and then further down the road about every 4-5 days. Nice.

Now for some lingo:

Prefold diapers are the old-fashioned kind of cloth diaper, but they are the most economical. They can either be tucked into diaper covers or fastened using a Snappi and then covered with one of the reusable diaper covers.

Pocket diapers are just like disposables, only you wash them. Before use, you have to stuff it with an insert, but that's it. This is usually the most expensive route, but most convenient.

Diaper covers are just used to cover a prefold or insert. They can be reused several times until they stink or get poo or pee on them.

I know everything I wrote about may be confusing, so welcome to the world of researching cloth diapers! This is just what I decided was best for us, considering price and convenience. Below are some websites I used to make my decisions, so I'm passing them on to you.

http://www.cottonbabies.com (this is where I bought most of our diapers and supplies)

http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/

http://www.diaperpin.com/home.asp

http://diaperpages.com/index.php

and of course you can find info and helpful tips on http://www.youtube.com

There are many more out there! I look forward to posting more about this once the baby comes and we are actually using them, so stay tuned! It is ridiculous how excited I am about this, but I am! Maybe part of the nesting instinct? I dunno.

But please let me know if you have any questions!

Recent happenings

My goodness, I can't believe I haven't blogged since Valentine's Day! I'm so terrible at this! Lots of things have been going on with us, we've barely stopped to savor these last few months as just Mike and me... hopefully we'll be able to slow down a bit in the summer as my energy slows down as well.

One of the biggest things that has rocked our world recently is my mom's diagnosis of ovarian cancer back in December. I'm finally at the place where I can talk about it more now... she is feeling really good for the most part, but has her down days of course. It's hard being so far away, but at the same time, it makes me rely more on God than EVER. Seriously. They have such a wonderful church family and such great friends who have come to help with everything from meals to driving Mom to chemo, to shopping trips, lunch out, and even just coming over to hang out with her at the house. I am beyond thankful.

As for us, Mike is doing well, finally finished his project at work, which had him working many weekends and late nights. It wasn't fun for either one of us, but the OT pay was nice, and it made the time we had together that much sweeter. He has just amazed me recently with his dedication to learning about becoming a new dad, and his interest in the baby. You never know with guys. :)

I'm progressing well with my pregnancy, today I am 25 weeks 5 days pregnant and feeling great for the most part. In case I didn't mention it before, we are having a BOY!! My sit-down-all-freaking-day job has been murder on my back and has caused sciatica in both legs, so that has limited my after-work activity significantly. As it warms up I am able to walk more, but just not as far. I'm getting HUGE, and as of about 2 weeks ago gained a total of 21# since my first checkup at 9 weeks. Holy smokes. The dr said that I would probably gain at least 40# total, mostly because of the fact that I started so small.

Baby is kicking and punching and dancing almost non-stop in my belly. It is so fun, I swear I could sit and just watch my belly move all day. My hunger is insane right now, but the more distracted I am, the less it bothers me. I don't eat a whole lot more at one sitting, just more often. I'm carrying him so LOW that sometimes it's hard to just get up off the couch. Ha! No heartburn or lack of sleep or anything YET, but then again I'm still in 2nd trimester. The only reason for lack of sleep is my appetite... I'll wake up out of a dead sleep at 4am and NEED food. Crazy.

Last weekend we traveled to Houston to be with my family and celebrate Easter, and it was just absolutely refreshing. We didn't realize until the end of the week how bad we both needed to just get out of town. We slept and relaxed a lot, and I got to spend some good quality time with both of my sisters and my parents. This only happens about once a year, so it was extra special. We are planning on driving out there again Labor Day weekend so that the family can see our new little guy. Yes, we will be driving 1000 miles with a 3-4 week-old, and we know that it may take 2-3 days.... but we're probably going to do it anyway.

The baby's room is taking shape as Mike has completely assembled the crib, changing table, dresser, and glider. He painted the room blue and I can't wait to get more things to put it in there.... it seems more real now, as if my growing middle wasn't doing anything for me. We have registered at Buy Buy Baby and Babies R Us... BBB is an amazing store that has everything you would ever need for a baby. Incredible. It is owned by Bed Bath & Beyond so they have great coupons and deals. Check it out!

I have lots of things to write about, but there just isn't time. That's about it for us! Until next time!

~Rachel