Seizure

At around 7AM this morning, my sister found my nephew Gabriel having a grand mal seizure and vomiting.  She tried to keep him on his side to prevent him from aspirating on his vomit while she waited for the paramedics to arrive.  The paramedics worked on him for 30 minutes, but were unable to stop the seizure despite large doses of medication.  He was rushed to Banner Desert in the ambulance while still seizing and they did not expect him to live.  Normally, he would go to St. Joseph's where his regular neurologist and neurosurgeon are, but they didn't have time to take him in the ambulance and he wasn't stable enough to air vac.  Seizures that last that long generally result in either death or severe brain damage.  Since he already has severe neurological problems (bi-line shunt in his brain, cerebral palsy and mental retardation in addition to all the problems that he experienced as a premie), it is an absolute miracle that he does not appear to have any additional brain damage.  He continued to have seizures throughout the day at the hospital, and is heavily medicated, but he did wake up a number of times and he knew who we were and seemed to be aware of his surroundings.  He was alert enough to ask for water (which he couldn't have because he was having trouble breathing) and to say "take it off" while waving the arm with his IV and pulse/oxygen monitor.  Please keep Gabriel in your prayers as he is not out of the woods yet.  He is in the PICU at Banner Desert and he will remain there until they stabilize the seizures and hopefully they will figure out what is causing the seizures as well.  This little guy has been through more in his five short years than most of us will experience in our entire lives.  It is heartbreaking to watch him suffer, but he is a fighter and we are trusting that God is in control of the situation.

Doctor visit

We saw the pediatrician today for Charlotte's two month well baby visit and vaccinations.  I almost cried when they gave her the shots and I heard her scream.  She calmed as soon as I picked her up, held her and gave her the pacifier, but I was still upset.  She seems to be handling it well overall.  She has slept a lot today and been a little fussy, but nothing like what I prepared myself for.  She got three shots and one oral vaccine.  We couldn't get the polio vaccine today because they were out, so we'll just get that one next time.  I have been reading Dr. Sears' book on vaccines and am considering using an alternative schedule from this point forward.  I had to get everything today because it is one of the contingencies at my job in order for me to bring her with me to work.

Stats from today: 

Two months and two days old

25" long - above 95%

11 Lb 12 oz - 75%

Long and thin - obviously she takes after her dad :)

Cloth Diapers and Co-sleeping

I was among the last of my close friends to have a baby, and the first to co-sleep and to use cloth diapers.  Everyone told me I was crazy and that I wouldn't able to sleep with her in our bed/room and that we would use cloth diapers for a couple of weeks and then give up.  I want to share our experiences with both.

I wanted to co-sleep from the beginning, but Chad was afraid that he would roll over on the baby, so we got an 18x36 cradle for her to sleep in in our room.  There is a lower risk for SIDS if the baby is in the same room as the caregiver during the time period when the risk is highest, which is between 2-4 months old.  I also thought it would be easier with nursing during the night.  That worked for the first couple of weeks, but then she started having trouble sleeping in the cradle, but when we would comfort her in our bed, she would go into a deep peaceful sleep, but awaken when she was placed back in the cradle, so she would end up sleeping in our bed either on one of our chests or in her boppy pillow.  By this time, Chad had realized that he wasn't going to roll over on her, so we got a snuggle nest for our bed where she now sleeps quite safely and comfortably.  I should note that we have a California King size bed, so there is plenty of room for the snuggle nest and both of us.

People who know me well, know that I care about the environment.  I try to recycle everything that I can.  I use reusable grocery bags and a reusable water bottle (I just got a Kleen Kanteen to replace my Nalgene bottle).  We have done lots of things to our house to make it more energy efficient (new AC, new windows, new water heater, desert landscaping, insulating the garage, getting rid of all the carpet, etc.) and we would do a lot more if we thought we would stay in this house for a long time.   We drive cars with good gas mileage . . . And I use cloth diapers.  Originally, I wasn't sure that it would be better for the environment because I thought that the amount of water and detergent might offset the impact of manufacturing and disposing of disposables.  Not true.  Check out http://www.thenewparentsguide.com/diapers.htm for great info.  For us it is cheaper as well, but that might not be the case for everyone in every circumstance.  I will never use a regular diaper like a Pampers or Huggies because they are the absolute worse thing for the environment.  When we do use a disposable, we use seventh generation diapers, which cost more (no coupons and sales).  We spent $200 up front on enough diaper covers, pocket diapers and wet bags to last us until she is about 15-18 pounds and then I will spend another $150 on diaper covers that will last us until she is potty trained.  We didn't purchase the diapers themselves because we are using a diaper service since I am going to continue working for the time being.  Our diaper service is AWESOME and they charge us $60 a month.  I don't have to worry about harsh or possibly harmful chemicals or plastic materials irritating my baby's skin.  Cloth diaper babies rarely get diaper rash while something like half of all babies using disposables have rashes.  The real savings come with the next baby and I will already have all my diaper covers.  I tried a bunch of different brands at first.  My brand recommendations are:

• Fuzzi Bunz for a pocket diaper and for double diapering at night (use a prefold from the service and the insert together).  You can also take out the insert and use as just a cover during the day.  This is an extremely high quality diaper that will last for as many babies as you can have and it comes in tons of fun colors.
  
• Imse Vimsie for an organic diaper cover.  It is really soft and the entire top is velcro instead of using velcro tabs.  The jungle print is really cute.
• Thirsties for a less expensive thin flexible velcro cover.  This was is lined with PUL which is a plastic material, but the plastic doesn't come in contact with baby's skin.  This one also comes in many different colors.
• Bummi's for a comfortable velcro cover.  The material is thicker and comes in cute prints as well as white.  Higher quality than thirsties in my opinion.  They also make a line of swim diapers, but I haven't tried those yet.

There are two local cloth diaper stores, Wildflower and Go Go Natural.  Help our environment and support local small businesses by using cloth diapers.

Maternity leave

I had a long talk with my boss today and she approved for me to wait until after Christmas to return to work.  A total of 13 weeks off.  Yeah!!!  She also said that I could take the last week of January off while Chad's family is in town.  

I was pleasantly surprised to find out last week that my employer is paying my share of my medical insurance and I am accruing both sick and vacation time while I am on maternity leave.  I think that is amazing considering I didn't qualify for either FMLA or short term disability.  (Long story, but I would have gotten STD if Charlotte had been born just 16 hours later.)  I also asked about working just 30 hours a week and they are going to look into it.  I hope it works out.  I want to spend as much time as possible with Charlotte.  This baby time is so precious.  I feel like if I blink it will be over.  

They are letting me bring Charlotte with me to work until she is 4 months old, but she will have to start daycare in February.  I am using my work daycare, which is subsidized by the tribe (I work for the Gila River Indian Community), so it is cheap.  I stopped by there today to drop off some paperwork and to see where they are at with availability.  Currently there are two workers in the infant room and only two babies.  Their official ratio is 1:3 with no fewer than two workers at any given time.  I still hate the idea of daycare though.  Why can't the economy be doing better, so I can stay home with my baby?

Yoga

When I was pregnant, I went to prenatal yoga a 2-3 times a week from 11 weeks until the day before I went into labor.  I loved it.  It helped keep me strong and healthy and it was a great support system as every class started with a time for everyone to share about their pregnancies and other things that were going on.  I also learned a lot about natural childbirth and pregnancy nutrition.  I have really missed it since Charlotte was born, so I was really excited to go to our first mommy and me yoga class on Sunday.  I ran into one of my prenatal teachers at the studio, so I was able to show off the baby.  I really didn't know what to expect from mommy and me yoga, especially with a six week old baby, but it was great.  The class is an adult class that focuses on core strength while integrating things into the class to entertain the babies.  While holding poses, we sang nursery rhyme songs, waved scarves and snapped our fingers.  It was also a very free environment as we were free to openly nurse or change diapers in the room as we needed to.  I definitely recommend it to anyone with a baby.

It has been a while

I feel like I should apologize for not blogging for a month, but it is hard to get some things done with a newborn in the house. Charlotte is doing great. At three days old, the pediatrician measured her at 21 3/4" long and 8lb 15oz. At her one month appointment she was 22 3/4" long and 10lb 13oz which is 95% for length and 90% for weight. We are happy that she is healthy and growing. The downside is she out growing her 3 month old clothes and she is only 5 weeks old. It is hard to believe she has only been with us for 39 days.  The best news of all is that she slept for over 7 hours last night.  This was after a period of inconsolable screaming because she was over tired and I didn't manage to sleep 7 hours because my body is not used to going that long without nursing, but we are excited for what this could mean to our lives when this starts happening on a regular basis.  The night before her longest time of sleep was only 3 1/2 hours, so there is no telling what may happen tonight.

Here is a sampling of pictures from the past month.  If you want to see her one month old portraits, check them out at www.kiddiekandids.com, click the mystudio link and login with sitting number 014019823 and sitting code WD465D6C.

I started pumping last week, so that I can have a supply of milk saved up before I go back to work.  Chad is giving Charlotte her first bottle of pumped breast milk to make sure that she will take a bottle and to give me a little break.

My parents, sister and nephews came over for dinner on Halloween.  The kids all dressed up, but Gabriel hated his costume and wouldn't put it back on for the picture.

Charlotte's first costume.  She is sucking on an orange pacifier to match her costume.

Benjamin (2) kept saying "Benjamin cute pumpkin"

Charlotte is getting her first tub bath.  She seems to like bath time pretty well.

The cats have lost their laps, but they are learning to adjust to their new place in the pack.

She is getting more awake and alert.

We love it when she sleeps on our chests.  She is a really snuggly baby.

Chad is giving Charlotte a sponge bath the morning after we brought her home from the hospital.  The nurses had used band-aid glue to glue a bow on her head because no one could tell if she was a boy or a girl unless they read her name card.  We didn't bring any pink clothes to the hospital because we didn't know we were having a girl.

Chad's parents came to visit for a week from Illinois when Charlotte was three weeks old.  They are coming again in January along with his sister, brother-in-law and niece.  His niece is only 4 weeks older than Charlotte.

This is her first trip to the park where we actually got out of the stroller.  Her very first trip to the park was when she was five days old.  Mommy took her for a three mile walk and then decided that was too much too soon after giving birth.  We've taken things much slower since then.

Our first family photo

The swing has been an absolute life saver on many occasions.

Sleepy baby

Hanging out

She makes funny faces

Hanging out with Grandma

Birthday Outing

My mom and I share our birthday and we went out shopping on Monday to celebrate.  We drove out to the outlets in Anthem and got some early Christmas shopping done.  Charlotte made out like a bandit.  Since we didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl until she was born, we didn't have anything pink or girly for her.  My mom and I went CRAZY at the Carter's outlet.  Everything in the store was 50% off.  We got her almost everything that she is going to need in six months size and a lot of nine months clothes as well.  Chad was overwhelmed by all the pink, purple and flowers when we got home and showed him everything.  He was especially horrified by the pink flowered head wraps and the tights with hearts on them.  This was our first all day outing and I was nervous about finding places where I could nurse comfortably.  I was shocked to find that they have an awesome mother's lounge off the food court.  We also tried out the baby sling for the first time, so that she wouldn't have to stay in the stroller all day.  I need to practice at home with it, so that I can get it adjusted properly, but it was comfortable and she seemed to like it.

She's here at last

Charlotte Janae Schwartz arrived Tuesday, September 30 at 7:18AM after 9 hours of labor and 20 minutes of pushing, one day before her due date.  She weighed 9 lbs 3oz and measured 21" long.  

On Monday evening, I was driving home from work when I felt an odd sensation.  It took me several minutes to realize that my water had broken.  It took me another 15 minutes to get home, so by the time I was there, the entire seat of my car was soaked in amniotic fluid.  Chad was nice enough to clean it all up for me with carpet cleaner for pet stains.  My contractions started about five hours later.  We arrived at the hospital at 12:30AM and I was 4cm dilated and 90% effaced.  I was checked again at 5AM and I was 7cm dilated and 100% effaced.  At 7AM I was ready to push and she emerged at 7:18AM.  Her birth was extremely exciting because we didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl.  The nurses and doctor were great.  I had a lot of anxiety about having a hospital birth because I have read tons of books on natural childbirth, took lamaze, prenatal yoga and natural childbirth classes and watched "The business of being born".  I really wanted a home birth, but my insurance wouldn't cover it and home births cost $4,000.  However, it worked out well because I was able to have the normal drug free birth that I wanted despite the fact that I was in a hospital.  Honestly, I don't think that I would have been able to push her out if I had been medicated because I wouldn't have been able to feel as much and with her large size I needed to be able to feel what was happening with my body.  It was hard though.  About one hour into transition, I asked about medication options, but it was too late for anything but an epidural, which was what I was absolutely opposed to, so I continued to labor and 80 minutes later she was born.  My recovery has been remarkably swift.  I feel great.  I have a lot of energy and want to get out of the house and do things, but I am having to restrain myself because she is only 8 days old and doesn't have much of an immune system yet.  We have gone out twice though.  On Monday, Charlotte and I went out by ourselves for the first time.  She had to get her newborn screening test and we also went to the post office and the bank.  Yesterday, my mom and I took her to the mall for an hour and a half.  She became a lot more alert when we were out and about.  She is waking up now, which means it is time to change a diaper and nurse.

This picture is from last weekend  . . . 38.5 weeks

I saw the doctor yesterday, and I am 4 cm dilated and 80% effaced, so it could be any day now.  I still have five more days before my due date.

I am using a flex day today, and I have a lot planned.  I'm taking the cats to the groomer at 10:30, getting a massage at 12, getting a pedicure at 1:30, and Chad and I are going out to dinner this evening.  Also, I'm getting my hair done tomorrow after yoga class.  I've decided to take full advantage of the last bit of time that I have to be selfish and focus on myself before the big day.

New Niece!!!!!

Madeline Kristine Finkenhofer was born yesterday morning weighing 7lbs 11oz and 21 inches long.  Chad's sister Cindy was 9 days late when she delivered.  I hope our delivery goes as well as hers.  She had an uncomplicated drug-free birth that took about 12 hours.

Traveling adventures

Today was the longest day I have experienced in a long time.  I left at 8:15 this morning for Hon-Dah, Arizona for a work retreat.  According to mapquest (which I will never trust again) it was supposed to be 169 miles and take 3.5 hours.  I arrived here at 3:30 this afternoon, and we didn't even stop for lunch.  Let me remind everyone that I am 8 months pregnant.  That is a long time to be driving with a baby sitting on your bladder.  The problem was that several key steps were not noted in the mapquest directions and we went over 70 miles in the wrong direction.  To top it all off, I don't get any cell phone service here.  I hope the rest of the week goes better than today.

Pregnancy Update

35.5 Weeks pregnant!!!!  We are due one month from today (October 1st).  I feel exhausted, and I don't really think I am going to make it all the way to my due date.  I have gained 28 lbs and I am measuring at 43" around.  This has turned into quite the unfunny joke because Chad's sister is 8 days late and her "waist" is measuring at only 41.5".  I washed everything for the baby and packed our hospital bag today.  I keep thinking we have almost everything ready and then I think of more things to do before the baby comes.  I am going out of town for work from Wednesday through Friday this week.  Hopefully, I won't go into labor in the middle of nowhere Northern Arizona.  

Baby's Room

The nursery: We have been working hard on the baby's room.  We needed a gender  neutral design/theme and we settled on multi colored rectangles on the walls with polka dot bedding in the same colors.  

This is my belly at 27 weeks.