Sleep

"Sleep while you can."  That phrase annoyed me so much when I was pregnant.  Yes I know I need to get sleep when I can, I know I will be up feeding her multiple times a night.  No matter how much you tell me to sleep while I can it will not prepare me for what is to come.  This I know.


I was right.  It's not the easiest getting up every 2-3 hours to nurse.  Especially while we are still struggling at feeding.  You know what.  It doesn't matter.  I wanted this, I have wanted to be a mom for a long time.  I'm a part of a mothers online board and being there on enforces more that you need to be grateful for what you have.  I am happy to get up ever 2-3 hours to feed my baby.  Why, because she is here with me, happy and healthy.  One of the mothers of the board lost her twin boys by 26 weeks. This amazing mama still visits the board and shares in our joy of our babies even though her heart is broken about her two sweet little boys she will never know.  Another mama delivered her son at 25 weeks and he is still in NICU, having had a few surgeries in his short 16 weeks of life.  He was due 8 days before Peanut was due.  Of the 113 women on this board over 80 have had their babies and her baby is still in the hospital.  


So as hard as it is to wake up and live on so little sleep.  Every time I have to get up I tell myself that I am happy to do so.  I love my little Peanut so much, how can I be upset.  

How can you possibly be upset when you get to wake up and look into these beautiful blue eyes.  Doesn't matter how tired I feel.  When I get to look at this face it makes it all worth it.  I can live on just a few short moments of sleep a day knowing my baby is home with me where she belongs and she is healthy.  


And now that she is back asleep, I should head that way too...

SHE'S HERE!!!!

Our precious little girl has arrived.  She finally made her appearance on February 16, 2012 at 10:54pm weighing in at 7 pounds 6 ounces and 20 inches long.  She is more than we could have ever asked for.  


I was awaken by contractions at 2am.  I was unable to sleep because the contractions were keeping me awake.  Of course they were closer together when I was laying down not walking around, which made sleeping difficult.  Throughout the day the contractions were staying pretty irregular.  When I told Daddy Lucas at 5am that I was having contractions he immediately wanted to jump on a plane and fly up here.  However we had discussed previously that we would wait to make sure I was in labor.  So he reluctantly stayed.  All throughout the day I was timing the contractions but there was not real pattern except when I would try to lay down they would be about 5-6 minutes apart.  Finally around 2:30-3 the contractions were starting to get closer together in more of a pattern and lasting for 30-40 seconds.  Knowing that the last direct flight out of Kansas City was leaving at 7:25pm  I decided to head to the hospital to get checked.  While doing that Daddy Lucas could start his 2 hour drive to the airport and if I was admitted than he could catch the flight.  If I wasn't admitted then he could turn around and go back to base.  Leaving the house later than I planned I let Daddy Lucas know of the plan.  He finally got approval to leave but having to stop at home to get stuff and dealing with traffic leaving base he didn't leave Manhattan until 5:00pm.  


I arrived at the hospital to get checked out.  Turns out I was already 4cm dilated so I got admitted.  Now we just needed to beat the clock that was going against us and the plane.  


After getting situated in my room and having needles put into me I was just hoping and praying that he would catch his flight.  I knew by the times he was giving me on how far away he was that it was very likely that he would miss it.  He was set to arrive to the airport around 7:00.  That doesn't give much time to check in and get through security and get on the plane.  Daddy Lucas had called Delta and when he told them he would get there about 7:00 they said that they wouldn't issue the ticket because of how close the time was.  


During all this my contractions started to get stronger and stronger with less time in between.  I don't really know how much time was in between each contraction but it felt like less than a minute.  Sometimes I would get one and even before that would go down, another contraction would come.  They were so unbearable that I could barely focus to get through them.  Grandma Liekhus was a great coach helping me concentrate on breathing through them as much as I could.  I asked to be rechecked and when they told me I hadn't changed I had to decide if it was best for me to get an epidural or stick in my stubborn ways of "seeing how much I could take."  I decided if I had gone through those strong contractions and no progress was made I didn't know how long I could do that for.  Much less having the energy to push her out when the time came.  So I asked for the epidural.  


Right about this time Daddy Lucas let me know that they were holding the flight so he could get on.  He told them his wife was in the hospital and needed to get on that flight.  I was so relieved to hear that he was going to make it.  Know that he would be to the hospital in about 2 hours and from the progress I hadn't made I figured he would be there in time for her to come.  


Finally getting the epidural in and I was feeling a lot better.  Tried to rest a little but that didn't last long.  Daddy Lucas arrived around 9:50pm.  Probably around 10:15pm I started to feel when the contractions were coming.  So much for resting.  About 10 minutes later I asked to be checked because I was feeling lots of pressure from the contractions.  Not quite there, only 9 cms.  What I think had to be no more than 10 minutes following that I asked to be checked again.  Time to meet our baby girl!  After 7 contractions, less than 21 pushes and only 14 minutes Abigail Taylor Lucas was born.  She was absolutely beautiful and everything I could have ever wanted in a baby girl.  I got to hold her right away and never wanted to let her go.  I finally gave her up about an hour later to get her weight, measurements and to be looked over (only because I was curious).  After they were done with that Daddy took over stealing her.  At around 11:45 Grandpa Liekhus and Auntie were allowed into the room to meet her.  


The labor and delivery was nothing like I expected.  And that is exactly why when people would ask me what I was "planning" for labor, I would tell them I have nothing set in mind for sure.  You just never know what will change.  I didn't expect to only be in labor in the hospital for 6 hours, or active labor for 8.  Overall labor was 21 hours and like most women say, I don't remember the pain of labor.  She is the only thing that matters from it all.  

He's not in love at all!!

Daddy and Abby

And then there were 3

Rocking the Elvis look

Mommy and Abby

Nap time

-Mama Lucas

Almost there

6 days away from her due date.  Everything is physically ready for her to come.  Crib is set up, changing table up and ready, clothes washed and folded, hospital bags packed. 


I've been telling her that I'm ready for her to come but now with this horrendous cold I have found I'm telling her to wait until that goes away.  I really don't want to have to try to get through labor with all these symptoms I'm having.  Worst of all, this horrible chest cough that is going on.  Just need to overcome this and then I'm all set for this beautiful little girl to make her appearance.  


It has been an interesting last week and a half of Doctor appointments.  Went in for my weekly appointment on February 3rd and everything was looking great.  Dr said she was 90% sure that baby was head down but 90% wasn't good enough for her if I were to go into labor now.  She went and got the portable ultrasound machine to check to make sure she was head down, which she was.  However Dr. wasn't seeing much fluid and wanted to get me in to have the fluid levels checked.  They got me in for an appointment in 15 minutes.  Included in the ultrasound was a AFI (amniotic fluid index) and a BPP (bio-physical profile).  The AFI is where they would measure the amount of fluid.  The BPP they give a rating out of 8, 2 for each of the following; heart rate, movement (3 small, 1 large), practicing breathing for longer than 30 seconds.  I believe that is all that is measured.  Fluid levels looked great at 10.5 and she scored a 6/8 on the BPP.  She didn't practice her breathing.  Next step was to do a NST (non-stress test).  Here they just hook you up to a monitor and study baby's heart rate and make sure that there are peaks with movement to make sure she is recovering and her heart rate goes back to normal.  They also want to make sure that there aren't any dips in her heart rate.  Where it would fall low, multiple times of this occuring could mean baby is in distress.  Of course she wasn't being cooperative and barely moved the entire NST so that gave them inconclusive results.  So Dr. decided to send me over to the hospital to labor and delivery to make sure that she was doing good.  Which after about an hour or so in the hospital they concluded she was fine and sent me on my way.  So my normal Dr appointment resulted in 4.5 hours of stuff including the hospital.


Dr. wanted me to do all of the testing over again just to be sure so on the 9th I went in to do it all again.  This time she got an 8/8 on her BPP and the fluid level was down to 9.07.  Under 5 is when they would induce and 10 is normal, so as the Dr. put it, I was in the gray zone.  I had a feeling it was the way she was positioned.  They did the NST and there were a few parts where the Dr. wasn't quite sure if there were dips or not (because of the way it printed out on the graph).  She wanted me to come back the next day to do it all over again.  


So there I am on the 10th going through all the tests again.  8/8 on her BPP and fluid is measuring at 14.7.  So I'm guessing I was right on how she was positioned, just not giving a clear shot to measure fluid levels.  This time she was totally cooperating and NST looked great.  However Dr. wanted me back early the next week to check it all again.  So I go back to have it all done again on the 14th.


Getting these all done seem repetitive to me, and now I have to start using the PTO to go to the appointments which leaves less for maternity leave.  But I guess if the Dr. finds it necessary for her health then I will do what I need to do. I appreciate the fact that the Dr. is willing to really pay attention to her.  I hear stories of people going in with issues and they can't get anyone to listen, and here my Dr. is doing things multiple times to make sure that she is safe where she is and there isn't any reason to be concerned.  


I have been preparing myself all weekend that I have probably 2 full weeks left of work.  I really don't see peanut showing up anytime soon, stubborn little girl, so I have to prep my mind to deal with 2 more weeks of work.  Two people's guess have come and gone.  This weeks holds 3 more guesses, we will see if any of that turns out.  


I can't believe how close it has come.  Even if she is overdue by 2 weeks that means there is still only about 20 days or less for her to come.  Cue slight first time mama freak out now.  Brand new  baby, full time work, part time school with only 1 year left to finish.  How do you balance it all?  How do I make sure I am being the best mama to her?  How do I give her all the love and attention she deserves with such a full plate?  How do I make sure her daddy sees her as much as possible being so far away?  I guess how every new mama does it.  Practice, time, less sleep, and a few failures. 

And to conclude my 39 week bump picture.  A few people say that it looks like she has dropped a little.  Makes me feel like its a little closer at least.

If you made it all the way through this post, thanks, I know it got a little long and boring :)

-Mama Lucas

14 days left??

Here I am, at 38 weeks.  I can't figure out what happened to the last 34 weeks.  There was so much stuff that was keeping me distracted I can't believe there are only 14 days left until her due date.  I thought February would never come and here we are, February 4th.  


So many people have their predictions of when peanut will decide to join us.  Her uncle was hoping for the 5th (tomorrow) because that is his birthday.  Grandpa wants her to come on the 9th so all of his favorite girls will have birthdays on the 9th.  Mommy- November 9th, Auntie- December 9th and Grandma- January 9th so hers would fit right in there being February 9th.  Great Grandma wants her to come on Valentines Day because that was Great Grandpa's birthday.  Auntie and Grandma have predicted February 15 for no other reason than just a prediction.  Daddy doesn't have an exact prediction, and each ones he gives keeps changing.  Lately he said that sometime between 12-18 is good.  And, well me being the math geek that I am I came up with my own dorky prediction.  My birthday is on the 9th (9x1), Daddy's birthday is the 18th (9x2), so I predict peanut will come on the 27th (9x3).  I might be the only crazy pregnant lady that is predicting almost 10 days late as a delivery date.   Not that it actually means I want to go that long, because I don't.  I'm so excited and anxious to finally get to meet her.  Ideally it would be nice if she decided to show up on a Friday.  Then I wouldn't have to technically start my maternity leave until that following Monday since I don't work on Fridays.  That would give me a nice extra couple of days.


However, as excited and anxious as I am I know I'm going to miss things about being pregnant.  I love feeling all of her kicks and pokes.  She hasn't done anything that hurt really bad so I guess I'm lucky in that department.  I love when she pokes a body part out, we will poke back an forth at each other.  I love seeing my belly move from the outside when she is throwing herself a party in there.  I could watch that for hours, but that will be replaced with me wanting to watch her sleeping face.  I can't wait to touch her little button nose, and kiss those beautiful cheeks.  I'm excited to see what color hair she has, hopefully its not plain and boring like mine.  I want to count her fingers and toes and look into those pretty little eyes.


Ultimately I tell myself that I have no longer than 28 days left to wait for her.  Although I would be perfectly happy with 18 or less :)  This is the worst kind of countdown for someone like me.  There is a countdown to a due date, but the due date doesn't really mean anything as all you other parents can understand.  Each day I keep waiting for some sort of a sign that something is going to happen soon, but thus far, a whole lot of nothing. In the end it doesn't matter when she decides to come now, as long as she is healthy.

Here I am at 38 weeks.  These maternity shirts are a joke after you reach a certain point.  There is no way I could get away with wearing this without the white undershirt.  You would think they could make them a little longer.  


-Mama Lucas