D.D.S.

During the last few weeks Dustin passed his boards, became a father, and now graduated a dentist.

Dustin Michael Davis, Doctor of Dental Surgery

Clara and I were still recovering and didn't make it to the following pre-graduation activities...

Senior Gala

Scrub Burning BBQ

(I was particularly sad to miss out on this one. I'd been looking forward to igniting those scrubs for years now! I sure hope pediatric residents at UIC don't wear green.)

On Birth

It's been a week now since Clara joined our family and I wanted to document the details of her birth story while they're still fresh in my memory. (Or I lose the little paper I sporadically jotted them down on while I was laboring. I recommend this. If you're drugged, your brain will be a little fuzzy.)

I was scheduled to be induced on May 1st at 39 weeks. We arrived at the hospital bright and early but they weren't planning to go forward with the induction until they did some blood work confirming that my platelet count (helps without blood clotting) hadn't dropped too low. (It had been low the day before and they won't do an epidural if it's below a certain cut-off. Being induced without an epidural- no, thank you.) But it had actually risen overnight so we were good to go!

Here is the timeline of events as I recorded during the delivery:

7:30 am arrived L&D

8 am blood worked looked good- dilated 2 cm, 80% effaced, +2 station, Dr. gives the go-ahead

8:30 am started pitocin, contractions become more regular but not painful

9 am, 9:45 am, 10:15 am, 10:45 am nurse keeps upping pitocin, contractions stronger but pain only 3/10

11:15 am Dr. returns to break water, immediate strong, increasingly painful contractions begin, continue on same dose of pitocin

12:15 pm epidural placed after contractions becoming unbearable... immediately heavy and numb from the waist down... at first I hated how the epidural felt, stuck in the bed from here on out

1:15 pm re-checked: dilated 4 cm, 90% effaced

-rest period where contractions continued and while I could feel them, I was pretty comfortable (although my legs never stopped feeling fat and tingly), I almost fell asleep-

2:28 pm nurse checks dilated 6 cm

2:52 pm nurse re-checks dilated 8 cm, (at this point the contractions were semi-painful and I could feel immense pressure on the front of my pelvic bone)

shortly after... rechecked and fully dilated, +3 station, pitocin stopped, baby's heart rate drops, administered oxygen, doctor called, nurses frantically prepping for delivery, order NOT TO PUSH

around 4 pm... doctor finally shows after waiting around forever feeling like a baby is about to fall out between my legs, pushing begins

4:28 pm baby girl delivered after almost a half hour of comfortable pushing- seriously, this was the least painful part (she was turned sideways and was seemingly stuck until the doctor managed to rotate her with her hand and she slipped right out)

Immediately upon birth she pooped all over the doctor and me before being placed on my chest. She wailed for a minute or two while the nurses cleaned her up and brought her back. She was alert and calm and I held her as I delivered the placenta and was stitched and cleaned up.

The biggest emotion I felt immediately after delivery was shock. It was so strange to finally meet the little person that had been living inside of me! After a minute or two of soaking it all in we announced our decision to name her Clara Jade (even my mom didn't know what name we had picked out).

Dustin cutting the cord of our little cone-head...

Dustin's favorite shot...

Proud first-time Grandma...

And auntie...

And mama...

Grandpa...

Auntie #2...

And #3... (Uncle Jacob hasn't met Clara yet- he was flying back from his honeymoon in Hawaii on the day of her birth.)

The next few days in the hospital were wonderful. I couldn't get enough of my baby. I let Dustin go home at night but I barely slept a wink (which I later regretted) in anticipation of each time they would bring her in to feed and I would get to spend those precious moments alone with her in the dark.

Now here we are a week later and while things haven't been a bit easy, having her in our lives has been incredible. Pregnancy was rough, thankfully birth was easy, and the first week at home has been much more challenging than I expected, but she's worth everything.


Clara's first bath...

And here we are at 1 Week...

Things I love about not being pregnant:

sleeping on my back (even if sleeping is a rarity)

my appetite (food is wonderfully appealing again, and no more restrictions!)

eating (I can eat without regret- no more fullness, heartburn, etc.)

no more belly (as fun as the attention a belly draws is, it's inconvenient when you start shutting it in doors and can't sleep comfortably)

having a baby (having her here beats all the imagining)


Things I miss about pregnancy:

my immunity to cold (I hate being cold- I need to be pregnant every winter... which is definitely not happening)

baby kicks (but now I get to watch those feet in action)

my body taking care of the baby for me (breastfeeding round the clock is exhausting- placenta, I miss you)


Thoughts on being a mama:

it's overwhelming- nobody mentioned the uncontrollable emotions (largely inflated by hormones) you will experience postpartum- joy, stress, immense love, fear, relief, awe

have I mentioned yet that having a newborn is exhausting?

so far breastfeeding has come pretty easy, but right now it feels like a full-time job (I actually calculated that I spend 8-10 hours a day feeding her- and thus should be getting paid overtime)

baby cuddles, stares, and smiles (even if you know she's just passing gas) make everything you've gone through (and are going through) worth it

seeing how much Dustin loves his baby girl and embrace fatherhood is awesome

i still feel like i have no idea what I got myself in to

life as we know it really has changed

I know some people say they were ready for another one the instant their baby arrived. I'll be honest, I'm not there yet. Ask me again in a few weeks years? once my bottom heals, I've forgotten what it feels like to have a baby skull crushing your tailbone, and I've gotten some sleep

somebody up there must really love me to trust me to take care of something so precious and perfect

how much I suddenly appreciate  my own mother- she did this five times!

Home

A few more shots from the hospital and on our first day at home as a family of three...

Arrival

Clara Jade Davis

born May 1st, 4:28pm

7 lbs. 12 oz. 

20 inches

Induction went quickly and relatively painlessly thanks to a beautiful epidural. She's healthy and strong and we think she's pretty cute. (And I'm recovering well, too!) 

More details and pictures to come...

Happening

Have I mentioned that last weekend my little brother got married? I was devastated not to be able to fly out for the wedding and miss out on all the fun. But here are the few first shots of the adorable couple (more to come)...

Jacob + Madeline

---

In other news, we've found a place to live in Chicago! I'll be honest, apartment-hunting from afar was a miserable process. It seemed like every place we'd get excited about would fall through because we weren't there to meet the landlord in person. Not to mention that Chicago is expensive and full of sketchy areas to avoid. In the end we got hooked up by an outgoing oral surgery intern and will be in the ground level of a two-flat townhome-of-sorts below another LDS oral surgery family. It's located in North Lakeview, not far from Wrigley Field and the shore (and a Trader Joes, Whole Foods, and Target, thank you). The place is definitely not glamourous. Let's just say it has some old Chicago charm. But we'll have parking, AC, a faux fireplace (maybe just staring at it will warm my toes), a washer and dryer, and an extra room for guests! What more could I ask for?

---

Oh, and tomorrow we're having a baby! Yes, this is really happening. While we're shocked she didn't come sooner, we manage to still feel totally unprepared. Induction is scheduled for 8 am. Wish us luck!

*I almost forgot- on Saturday Dustin took his last boards and is unofficially finished with dental school. (Clinic is open this week, but obviously he won't be there.) The timing couldn't be more perfect, really. In less than two weeks he'll be graduating a DDS.

I thought I'd share one last picture of this bump (I'm not sure what to call it, but let's be honest it's not just a bump anymore) I've grown, on my last day of pregnancy.

39 Weeks

These Few Weeks

A few pictures from the Easter Egg hunt last weekend...

Not much has changed with my situation over the last two weeks. (Besides that I'm walking better and in much less pain. Thankfully.) She's still in there, getting bigger. And now if/when she comes she won't be a premie! Contractions are still frequent and we'll find out on Thursday if I've progressed any further. 

If she doesn't surprise us sooner, two weeks 'till induction May 1st!

36-37 Weeks

I have to say how strange it is to know that you're going to be a parent in such a short time. That in an approaching instant life will never quite be the same. I keep feeling like we should be doing something more to prepare, or to take advantage of these last few days on our own. We're anxious (well mostly me- birthing is scary) and excited (Dustin is sick of just feeling kicks and wants to see her face), and realizing that we'll probably never feel ready for what's coming. 

35 Week Update

I had my 35-week doctor's visit and ultrasound this morning and thought I would share an update...

This time I was not admitted to the hospital and got to come home! 

The last few days I've started to feel slightly better. I'm walking  waddling around about twice as fast and can handle being on my feet more than just a few minutes. My butt still hurts 24/7 and rolling over/standing/bending, etc. are extremely difficult. 

We started with the ultrasound and while everything looked normal (apparently our baby has nice "pouty lips" and only a few tuffs of peach fuzz), she was a bit uncooperative. The tech was frustrated that she wouldn't move her head for better measurements. But since it's jammed down about as low as it can go in my pelvis I'd imagine that's asking a bit much. 

estimated weight: 6 lb. 8 oz.* !! 

(average for 35 weeks is closer to 5 1/2 lbs.)

*Because they had such a hard time getting a head measurement (and this is based on a combination of the head and belly), the doctor thinks she's probably not quite this heavy. 

I actually lost 4 lbs. since my hospital stay, which didn't surprise me too much since this is the first time in years I haven't been working out/lifting weights regularly. I feel like my muscles are shrinking away. Baby is also pushing on my stomach and lungs and its hard to eat more than a little bit at a time (even though I finally have an appetite- how annoying!). Nobody seemed too concerned though as she is obviously growing fine. 

Next we visited with the doctor and learned that I'm now dilated 1 cm and effaced 70%. She's still head-standing down there just as low. Contractions are often but not painful, too close, or regular. 

The plan:

No more bedrest!! (I'm allowed to do whatever activity I can manage comfortably. Which means not much. But at least I can walk around the grocery store without feeling guilty.)

No plan to stop labor if she comes early. (She's pretty big now and breathing well and should do OK outside of me.) 

If she doesn't come early (unlikely they say), induce at 39 weeks, May 1st. 

So things have progressed but not too rapidly. She looks healthy and strong. While I suspect she might show up on her own, the thought of dealing with the pain for another 4 weeks is a daunting. (I'm also scared that she could get rather large with another month of growing!) There is a chance that the pelvic issues/pain will not resolve on their own after delivery and I will have to undergo some physical therapy. No way to know until then, though.

Hoping she stays put a few weeks longer... but wouldn't complain if we have a baby in April instead of May!