Friday October 16th...Sara Elizabeth Topolewski is Born!

Sara Elizabeth was born on Friday October 16th at 2:10 in the afternoon. She weighed 8lbs 4 oz and was 20 in. in length. Overall the entire experience was wonderful but it was not without its ups and downs. The process began on Thursday night around 9PM when I was admitted to Riverview hospital to begin induction. (I warn you that I am going to recall the entire process not only for those who want to know but for own recollection and benefit in the future) Dr. Conley came in and began the induction with an insertion....however we thought that this was a waste because I had still not dialated past a centimeter. I sat at the hospital with my mom watching Grey's Anatomy til Dave came to relieve her after bowling. By the time by mom had switched with Dave around 11 I still had not felt any pain or movement to going into labor. Well one that morning came around and I suddenly became very uncomfortable and could not get comfortable either side I laid on, so the nurse offered a shot of morphine. The morphine did NOTHING for me. I still could not get comfortable. It turns out that I had dialated to a little less than 6 centimeters by five o'clock that morning. (Which explains the consistent discomfort...the contractions were coming about every 5 minutes)

Well it was then that I was given the opportunity to opt for an epidural. Initially I did not believe that I wanted an epidural for the pain, I wanted to go naturally. There had been a few horror stories that I heard about how people reacted post epidural. Well with the opportunity to get the epidural came a time restriction because the anesthesiologist was due to be in another c-section and would be unavailable for the next hour....so it was then or another hour of uncomfort. Next thing I knew I had another painful contraction so I quickly opted for the epidural. The worst part of that decision is that Dave has to leave the room and the size of the needle that has to go in my back is huge. I will never forget how much I was shaking from the amount of IV fluids that was inserted...it was scary!

So here I am with the epidural flowing, my pain subsided, and the doctor telling me that my progress had stopped so she would need to break my water and start the petocin. This was approximately at nine in the morning. When the doctor broke my water she informed me that I would be having a special nurse in the delivery room because Sara had gone to the bathroom in the unterus and there was a possibility that she had swallowed some of it..and that I should not be alarmed that she probably would not cry when she came out cause she would have lots of mucus. By one that afternoon I still was not making any progress and the doctor had asked me to make the final decision of my labor process...either continue to wait and hope to make progress sooner than later or have a c-section and get her out.I looked at Dave and asked him what he thought was the best decision and he said it was entirely up to me...it was my body that was in discomfort. I chose the c-section.

With that decision in came the anesthesiologist to numb not only my uterus but everything from my chest to basically my knees. They handed Dave scrubs and rolled me into the surgery room. The time was 1:45 in the afternoon and by 2:10 Sara was out, crying her healthy lungs out. You would think that was the end of the beautiful experience but it only seemed to go down from there. Surprisingly my recovery went very smoothly. As soon as I was off bedrest I took a shower, got changed and had a little something to eat. The nurses were actually shocked at how well I was doing and how little pain I was feeling in the recovery state. Sara also seemed to be doing well...til things just seemed to get uncomfortable. At first the on-call pediatrician came in to tell us that Sara had failed her right side hearing test. I know you are probably thinking how do you tell that a newborn has failed hearing but supposibly our daughter did. The doctor kept reassuring me that it was probably nothing but a little bit of mucus back up (kind of like the feeling you get when you need to pop your ears on a plane) but still it makes you nervous as a first time mother. The days had progressed and it was the morning that we were to be discharged.

Our pediatrician came in, like every other morning, and informed me that Sara had developed an infection on her foot that was serious enough that she was not comfortable discharging Sara that day and that potentially she might have to stay for an additional three to five days. When I think of it now it seems insignificant compared to what could have been wrong with Sara but at the time I was devastated with the news. All I could think of was that I was going to be discharged and Sara was going to have to stay in the hospital without Dave or myself. I was heartbroken to think of my daughter alone in the special care nursery and not home with her parents where she belonged. However Dave was most frustrated with the fact that he had mentioned to the nurses when she was born on Thursday that it seemed that the ankle bracelet was put on too tight and now the doctors were telling us that she could not go home because she had an infection on the same foot as the bracelet.

Well Sara moved into the special care nursery with an individualized nurse. They had to put an IV in her hand and her arm was attached to a board because Sara is so full of energy that her arms and legs are constantly going. They were afraid that she would pull at the IV so they taped up her arm and her hand to make sure that the other hand could not knock it out. Sara's foot was taped up on her one leg with gauze and pads. It just looked very depressing and often brought a tear to my eyes seeing my newborn in that state. Twice a day Sara received an antibiotic through her IV for an hour at each time. I worked closely with the nurses to plan out her feedings. The one nurse convinced me that I should start pumping to ensure that she always has something to eat because I did not want them to supplement her with formula if I was not there. At first I was beside myself that I was pumping because I did not want her to take a bottle so early but Dave told me, as well as the nurse, that this would be my last opportunity to get some consecutive hours of sleep so I ended up allowing the nurse to give her a pumped bottle of breast milk at three in the morning after I fed her around midnight and then fed her again around seven. That was also difficult for me to deal with because I felt as though I was being a horrible mother to not be there for her at all times when she needed me but I kept trying to say to myself that it wasn't hurting her and it was benefiting me to get a little bit more sleep to help her.

Finally a week after I entered the hospital Sara was discharged and allowed to go home with a clean bill of health. We were given instructions on how to continue the antibiotics to completely get rid of the infection on her foot. We made our way home with the carseat completely intact and Sara fast asleep inside. Thankfully the first day Sara came home was a beautiful, warm day and we were able to take her for her first walk with the dogs. She did a great job making it through the night. She took her medicine when she was suppose to, fed at the times she was suppose to, and slept the rest of her day away. It may only be her second night at home but she seems to be adjusting well to her new home and is a very good baby. Daddy and Mommy love spending time with her all day long. Just to sit and stare at her and watch her explore her surroundings is amazing. We love our new daughter!

Sara Elizabeth Enters the World

One More Before Baby Comes

Ok..so we went to what I hoped to be our last appointment before she came but looks like we will be having one more appointment and then we will be induced. Last night at the doctors..he told us I was alittle under 2 cm now( I think he just told us that to give us hope) and that the next appointment will be after my due date so I will receive a non-stress test that day. He said it is standard for women who go past their due date...just gives a thorough check on the baby to make sure her heart beat is ok and that everything is still going ok..despite her stubborness. Then he said if she does not decide to come on her own before that he will induce me on Friday October 16th in the morning and that most likely she will be in my arms by that night. WHOA! If that didn't just make everything real I don't know what will. At first I didn't believe I wanted to be induced because I didn't want to take any medicines unless absolutely needed too..but once the option of knowing she will be here and the waiting will be over and I can meet her finally..I kind of jumped on it.

So hopefully this will be the last baby update before she arrives next week..if not sooner. Once she gets here I will try my hardest to upload some pictures for you all to see. Let's cross our fingers!

Waiting and Waiting

So we are about 9 days away from our projected due date and our little one is sitting at a stand still of progress. I was dialated at 1 centimeter about four weeks ago and at our visit today we were told that I am still at that 1 centimeter. I keep telling myself that she will know when is her right time to come out but the excitment and the anxiety to meet her is killing me..I wish she would just make up her mind already. Our next appointment is about three days before the due date and the doctor said that at that time, if she still is at a standstill, we can make the decision to decide to induce or we can wait it out another week and see what happens. I am not too sure how I feel about being induced and involving drugs that quickly..but who am I kidding by that point I am sure that I will feel differently and want to schedule the induction asap!

In other news..Dave had his surprise 30th birthday party. There were many family members and a some good friends who were there to surprise him when he got home from work. Everything went smoothly and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves...but believe me that will be the last time I choose to throw a party when I am over 8 months pregnant..a bit stressful. Dave was excited to have family over the house so that everyone could see the progress we were making with our house. The progress is coming along slowly but what has been accomplished is looking wonderful. We have been trying to do one room or one area at a time. We first did the kitchen with all new cabinets, new countertops, new appliances and new paint. Then we painted a couple of the bedrooms upstairs to give them a fresher look. We also did our upstairs bathroom. We expanded it and got new fixtures put in. Everything takes time but lately with being off work I have gotten a lot more accomplished, which is comforting because pretty soon I know we will have our hands full.

Coldstone is still working out well for Dave. It is keeping him busy...even more now with the holiday season approaching because people love their pies and cakes. I stopped working at Outback about three weeks ago..I subbed for a couple of days to keep myself occupied and I continue to tutor a little boy who was in my kindergarten class last year. I feel like the more active I stay the less I stress about being uncomfortable or in pain. Anyways thats about it for us here...hopefully the next post will have exciting baby news and pictures attached! Let's cross our fingers!

Three Weeks and Counting

We have a little over three weeks left til our due date and progress is being made slowly..emphasis on the slow. We are now going to the doctor once a week til the end of the pregnancy. At our last appointment our doctor told us that we were a centimeter dialated. However a few questions arose during the appointment because when the doctor pointed out where he believed the head of the baby was..it seemed like a substantial distance between that area and where he placed the machine to listen to the heartbeat. So the doctor decided to give me another ultrasound to make sure that he was sure the head was down and in the right place. Well the ultrasound came and he was in fact correct that she was down and in the right place. After that appointment I was feeling pretty good that things were progressing and moving in the correct direction...I understand that being one centimeter dialated is not a lot but I felt secure that the baby was making progress and that I would get to meet our daughter sooner than later.

The week continued and our next appointment came about. The appointment was today and we met with one of the other doctors in the practice. He told us that all of our latest tests came back normal with no concerns or worries. But when he was doing the exam he said that he did not feel the head moving down at all. So then he made me nervous that the baby moved and perhaps the baby was flipped in the wrong direction. So once again we went in and got another ultrasound. He said that the head was definately down in the right position but that the baby was still alittle high up. The doctor also said that he feels that the placenta is a bit low and that might be why the baby's head is not dropping. He also saw in the ultrasound that the baby's hand and arm was up near her face and it might be forcing her to not drop down. Dave and I are still hopefully that she will move her arm and that she will drop down safely. I would prefer sooner rather than later..just because I want to meet her already..I want to hold her and kiss her. But whatever keeps her safe I will just have to deal with because I do not want anything to happen to her in the end.

We are still going to the doctors every week until the time comes but hopefully by the next doctors appointment we will see more progress.

On a different note we met with our first potential pediatrician today. She was in an individually run office and is close to our house. There were some definate advantages and disadvantages in a doctor that is by herself. We still have to meet with two pediatrician groups, one tomorrow and one next week. It will be nice to compare the different forms of pediatricians to see which ones we prefer. As time is approaching we will have to make a decision quickly but we are keeping our options open as well and not utilizing the first doctor we meet.

We will keep you updated!!

Baby Shower

On Sunday August 23rd, my mom threw Dave and I a baby shower at their house with close friends and family. It was suppose to be a surprise, but some where along the way Dave and my mom lost communication and Dave brought me to the house early. I could've almost walked up behind my mother and asked her what she was up to without her realizing in time to say "surprise!" It wasn't the best day weather wise, but my parents had rented a tent, table, and chairs for people to be covered under. The food was wonderful and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. What was also wonderful was seeing family members and friends that Dave and I have not seen in some time. The time to catch up with everyone is wonderful.

When time came to open up the presents it became a bit overwhelming..but all in all we did receive a ton of wonderful and beautiful gifts. We want to thank everyone again for such generous gifts for our baby girl. The other aspect that was overwhelming was getting all the gifts home and having them be in the baby's room. I have never seen a girl (who isn't even born yet) have so much stuff. It has taken some time but things seem to be getting in their correct spot and clothes are being hung up or put away.

Started Lamaze Class

Lamaze class started this previous week. We head to Jersey Shore Medical in Neptune for the class; however we are having the baby at Riverview Medical in Red Bank. Like most other mothers-to-be I warned Dave to be on his best behavior when we went to the class and not crack jokes or crack up when the lady talks about different parts of labor. I must say Dave was on his best behavior and did not crack a joke the entire class. He was probably one of the only fathers there that did not make a joke or laugh at inappropriate things. Lamaze ended up being very informative. They provided a variety of different pamphlets and information regarding all aspects of what to expect when it is time to deliver. At least when the class is over in four weeks I will feel better knowing we openned ourselves up to all possible knowledge and assistance that was out there.

Also in this week Kelli and Lindsay went to their friend Adrienne's baby shower. It was at this beautiful restaurant in Lake Hurst. There were a lot of people there and Adrienne seemed to get all the presents that she would ever need and want. Lindsay still doesn't know when or where her babyshower is but she is excited to spend the time with close friends and family.

Baby Update: Our little girl is growing up strong in Mommy's belly. We are on our last every two week check up, which just means time is flying by. Pretty soon we will be going to the doctors every week until she comes. The doctor says her heartbeat is strong and is healthy. Mommy's belly is at the correct size in comparison to the progress in weeks of labor. We are very excited to meet our little one. Hopefully with this hot weather it will be sooner rather than later.