1 Week Old

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Amelia is 1 week old today! 

Friday night daddy was so tired that he fell asleep during a very exciting Iowa State football game. We ended up beating OK State, the number two team in the nation! This was a huge win for Iowa State, not just because we beat number two but we also became bowl eligible! Amelia wore her new Iowa State hat as a good luck charm! I guess it worked!

We came home from the hospital on Saturday afternoon. We were so happy to be back in our own home and our own bed! We pretty much spent the afternoon resting as we didn't get a whole lot of sleep the night before. (Daddy got a little more than mommy)

Elle meeting Amelia went really well. She pretty much just sniffed her and moved on. :) She doesn't seem to be bothered if Amelia cries and will lay with her if she is being held by me or Eric...I'm sure more out of jealousy but still!

We cannot get over how incredible this little girl is! She is so strong and already holding her neck up. She has a killer grip as well. She is already rolling around and will be rolling over before we know it! She is sleeping a lot during the day and the nights have been a little good and a little bad. We seem to be on an every other night schedule. One night she will sleep for 3-4 hours between feedings giving mommy plenty of good sleep...the next she will hardly sleep all night leaving mommy very cranky in the morning. We have been using the Summer Infant Swaddle Me and it works pretty well. She doesn't particularly enjoy the act of swaddling but once she is all bundled up she seems very content.  She is currently sleeping in a bassinet next to the bed. We have learned that daddy can sleep through all crying, which is good for when he goes back to work but annoys mommy to no end! Even though the crying doesn't wake daddy up he has been very helpful in handling late night diaper changes and burping.

On Monday we took Amelia on her first walk. We didn't make it too far because I was still pretty sore but Amelia did great!

On Tuesday Grandma and Grandpa Wagner arrived from Iowa and met Baby Amelia for the first time. 

On Wednesday we took Amelia to her first doctor's appointment since leaving the hospital.  Amelia is already growing like a champ! She weighed in at 7 pounds 11.5 ounces. The doctor said it is a two week milestone to pass birth weight, our little girl is so advanced! She measured 20.5 inches. Although this is almost an inch more than when she was measured at the hospital the nurse said she may have still been scrunched up from birth when they first measured her. Either way we were very proud of her growth! She goes back next week and then doesn't go back until the dreaded 2 month appointment where she will start her shots. I have a feeling mommy will have a harder time with that than Amelia...

On Thursday Aunt Abby arrived from Chicago. She was very excited to meet Amelia. Since Abby didn't arrive until Thursday (Thanksgiving) afternoon we decided to celebrate the holiday on Friday this year. I'm a little bummed to be missing out of Black Friday shopping but I guess she's worth it. :)

How am I doing? Surprisingly well, I'm still sore and very tired but I'm really happy with my recovery and with my weight loss. At Amelia's one week check up I was already down about 14-15 pounds! It is crazy how much my belly has gone down since we left the hospital! Here is me at 39 weeks 3 days and me 1 week after delivery...big difference! (I'm not going to post pics of me every week, maybe again at one month if I'm happy with it! :) )

Amelia's Birth Story

As I alluded to in a few posts during my pregnancy I wanted to attempt a natural childbirth. I am not against drugs but I wanted to avoid a C Section if at all possible and from what I had read medical interventions are a slippery slope and getting pitocin and breaking water and getting an epidural can increase the risk of a C Section. That being said in the last few weeks of pregnancy (once I became "full term" and it was safe for baby to be born) I started doing things to encourage myself to go into labor. They say you can't make yourself go into labor until your body is ready but there are things you can do to get your body ready for labor to make the whole process go a little smoother. I ate eggplant Parmesan, ate pineapple, ate spicy food, drank "pregnancy tea" courtesy of my doula every night, took evening primrose oil supplements, bounced on the birth ball (yoga ball), took long walks every day and some other things I wont mention on the blog....

My due date was 11/20/11 and on 11/16/11 things got started! We went to bed around 10:30 PM and around 10:45 PM I started feeling what I thought might be contractions. I tried to go to sleep, I knew I would need the rest if this was real labor! I slept off and on for about two hours waking to slight contractions. (No pain yet) I decided to wake Eric up around 12:45 AM and we started timing. We timed 6-10 contractions and decided this was the real deal! I got up and took a shower. (I was really really excited I got to do this because who knew when I would get to again!) The contractions were a little more debilitating at this time but still really manageable. They slowed a bit while I was in the shower but got right back to normal when I got out. I remember having to stop drying my hair and squat down each time a contraction hit. It wasn't terribly painful but I just couldn't stand up! (This should have been a red flag....a sign of things to come...) Eric showered and we both called our parents to tell them the good news! We also called our doula Angie. My mom came to pick up Elle and take her to her house and Angie arrived around 3:30AM.

Around 4:00 AM my contractions were coming faster and faster, only about a minute and a half apart. My contractions were most manageable on the birthing ball and Angie suggested that Eric should put pressure on my lower back during the contractions to relieve some pain. LIFESAVER! I ate a PB toast and a banana and drank a Gatorade and we decided it was time to go to the hospital. We left for the hospital and I had several contractions in the car despite the fact that it was 4:00AM and we live very close to the hospital. Contractions in the car were awful. I found that sitting up straight was my most painful laboring position.

We arrived at the hospital at 4:15 AM. Eric and I went right to triage and I was hooked up to the Electronic Fetal Monitor and checked. I was dilated to 3...almost 4 and 50% effaced. This was not good news....I had really hoped that laboring at home for several hours meant I would at least be dilated to a 4 or 5 considering I was at a 3 at my 39 week check up. The nurses said we could go home or walk around the hospital to see if I would dilate more. I was NOT getting back in that car so we decided to take a walk! I was pretty unhappy with the demeanor of the triage nurses, they just were not very comforting or helpful. Dr. Hardin was on call at this point.

We walked the halls of the hospital carrying the birthing ball. Each time a contraction would hit I would sit on the birthing ball and Eric would get behind me and put pressure on my lower back. The time between contractions varied once I got to the hospital but the intensity was steadily increasing. We went back to triage at 7:20 AM. Nurses change shift at 7 and we were blessed with new triage nurses that were kind and understanding and very helpful! I was checked again and dilated to a full 4 CM. The nurses told me I could be admitted but it would be better to wait until 8 when Dr. Brown came on call because she was very understanding of natural birth wishes. Although I was ready to be admitted I was very happy to hear that Dr. Brown was coming on as she was the doctor I had hoped would deliver our baby. We decided to take another walk! My mom arrived at the hospital at this time and joined us on our walk. Same story as before...my contractions were on top of each other as I walked around. I would sit on the ball and hold Angie or my mom's hands and Eric would press into my lower back.

Around 9 AM a nurse from triage came to find me to tell me that Dr. Brown was in triage and would like to check me herself. I was dilated to a 5!  Progress! Dr. Brown admitted me and I went to my room and changed into my special hospital gown courtesy of my crafty momma! My contractions were getting stronger and stronger, mostly 1-1.5 minutes apart but some right on top of each other.

Around 11 AM I was feeling some pressure below so they decided to check me again. Dilated to a 6! Things were moving! My cervix wasn't quite 100% thinned but everyone was very happy with my progress. The contractions started getting pretty bad at this point. I again tried several positions but nothing worked. I would try standing holding on to Eric or leaning over the bed and the contraction would literally bring me to my knees. The ONLY way I could handle a contraction would be to sit on the birthing ball and push into the end of the bed while Eric pressed his palms and eventually full hands into my low back as hard as he could. Around 11:45 Angie suggested I try the shower. We sat the ball in the shower and Eric got in behind me. I used the sprayer on my belly while he put pressure on my back during the contractions. It felt a lot better than being out of the shower but still hurt like h**l!

Around 1 PM I started feeling the urge to push so they called Dr. Brown in to check me. I was still dilated to a 6. No progress whatsoever in the last 2 hours. I was heartbroken. Dr. Brown suggested we rupture the membranes (break the water) to get things moving along. She also suggested I consider an epidural as ROM can make contractions much harder and mine were already pretty strong. At this point the contractions were so bad I would literally cry during every contraction and I was so exhausted I would fall asleep for the 30 seconds to a minute between each contraction. Eric was exhausted and his hands were in pain from pushing with all his strength into my back and would lean on my back during the breaks and sleep as well. I sent everyone but Eric out of the room to discuss the interventions. Although I had hoped we wouldn't have to do it we decided to let Dr. Brown rupture the membranes but we also decided that we would do it without the epidural. Eric was my rock in these moments. I was so tired and in so much pain that I could hardly think and he just reminded me of our hopes for this birth and this baby and told me he supported me whichever way we went but that he had faith that I could do this.

At 2:05PM Dr. Brown broke my water. It was interesting....not painful but strange! Surprisingly my contractions right after the ROM were considerably easier than before as it felt like some of the pressure had been relieved. That didn't last for too long though and before I knew it the contractions were back to extreme pain and intensity.

Around 4 PM I was feeling a lot of pressure and Dr. Brown thought maybe it was time to push! She checked me again and that was not the case...I was still dilated to a 6...no progress whatsoever. When she told me I was still only a 6 I lost it, I immediately started crying big rolling tears. I was exhausted and I felt like my willpower went out the window when she gave me that news. Dr. Brown said we needed to get labor going and suggested pitocin. She also again suggested an Epidural as Pitocin is known  to make contractions stronger and more painful. Angie also suggests we consider the epidural. She said she was worried that if I didn't get some rest that even if I did dilate I wouldn't have the energy to push the baby out. Again I sent everyone but Eric out of the room so we could talk. After many tears we decided it was time to get the epidural. Our biggest goal was a safe vaginal delivery and at that point we felt the epidural would give us the best shot at that. It wasn't what we had hoped for but it was where we were at.

At 4:30 PM I got the epidural and immediately fell asleep! I woke up around 6 PM and was checked. 9 CM dilated! My body obviously needed to rest and relax, during each contraction I was so tense from the pain that I wasn't making any progress! We also learned at this time that Amelia was posterior (front facing...sunny side up!) and I was experiencing back labor which is why my contractions were so painful and why the only relief I could get was from Eric pushing into my back. Dr. Brown attempted to physically turn Amelia inside of me and succeeded but my stubborn little girl proceeded to turn herself right back around!

Around 7:30 I was checked for the last time. I was fully dilated and it was time to push! I pushed with the nurses for awhile and tried several positions. Although I had the epidural and I wasn't in pain anymore the pushing was HARD WORK. I would feel pressure when  a contraction was coming and push for about 30 seconds and would feel completely winded each time! I was also having really bad acid reflux at this point and had to have a Zantac drip to stop it. It was so bad that I was throwing up between pushes. Yuck.

I had been pushing for about an hour when Amelia started having decels (decelerations). Basically the heart rate is supposed to drop during a contraction but her heart rate was dropping right after the contractions. Dr. Brown wasn't too worried but said that that could only go on for so long so we needed to get this baby out! I was watching the pushing in a mirror and could see the baby's head descend and then move back during each push and the news of the decels was apparently exactly what I needed to muster the strength to push this baby out!

At 9:07 PM on 11/17/11 my sweet baby girl was born! They placed her immediately on my chest while Dr. Brown milked the cord. Eric cut the cord and Amelia stayed on my chest for a good hour! After a bit we attempted breastfeeding and she latched right on! It was a LONG day...around 22 hours and it didn't go as planned at all but at that point it didn't matter. Amelia was here and she was healthy and beautiful and the light of the our lives! We are so blessed!

Welcome Baby Girl!

Please forgive the lack of posts... I've been a little busy. :)

Welcome to the world Amelia Kathryn Wagner! 

Born November 17, 2011 at 9:07 PM. 

7 pounds 10 ounces

19 and 3/4 inches

38 Weeks

Edited to add: I wrote this last week and for some reason didn't post it! Pregnancy brain I guess! Expect a 39 week post in a day or so...unless I go into labor... :)
How the baby is growing:

This week Baby Girl W weighs about 6.8 pounds measures over 19.5 inches long, like a leek! The other websites I get updates from have given up and said she is the size of a Watermelon for the last couple weeks and I think they are right! She is obviously growing like crazy! My weight gain has been pretty consistent over the second and third trimester (didn't gain a pound until week 14 due to sickness) at about a pound a week, then all of sudden two weeks ago I gained 4 pounds in 2 weeks, then the next week I lost a pound...who knows! I think it also depends on what time of day they weigh me as the 4 pound "gain: was weighed right after lunch... I'm still at a healthy and normal gain so its fine its just crazy!

How I am changing:

Well I'm getting bigger that's for sure! My belly actually catches me off guard when I see it reflected in a mirror. I am seriously wondering how much I will grow...what with 11 days until my due date!

37 Weeks

38 Weeks



I have been feeling pretty good compared to a couple weeks ago. Heartburn and general uncomfortableness (is that a word...) are my main issues. The heartburn is the worst at night when I lay down, I'm trying to sleep with more pillows to prop me up but it doesn't really help. The tums, papaya enzymes and zantac do help a bit. I have started to experience the wonderful world of swelling. It really hasn't been an issue for me throughout the pregnancy but I am noticing it more an more, especially if I am on my feet for any period of time.

Fun stuff:

The nursery is done. I don't know if I'm going to take any more pics right now as its not much different but I might...we shall see. 

My mom dressed me up as a Jack O Lantern for Halloween, I thought it was pretty cute!

We set up AKW's baptism and attended an infant CPR class. Although it was a short (as in we didn't get certified or anything) class I felt like I learned a lot. I would like to actually get certified at some point though.

All the baby clothes for 0-3 months are washed and ready to go, including all the burp clothes, socks, hats and blankets. It occurred to me that I have absolutely zero newborn size clothes. I don't think this will be an issue because newborn size only goes up to 7 or 8 pounds but if by some miracle she is born small I'm going shopping! LOL 

Big Day!

Tomorrow is a mini milestone...not only is tomorrow November 1st, a day that I can officially say (at least I hope so...LOL) that I will get to meet my baby girl this month, it is also the day that I move into the teens in terms of days left. Tomorrow I am 37 weeks and 2 days pregnant...which means I have 19 days until my due date. I know she may not come right on her due date but its still pretty cool to think I have less than three weeks!

I'm having a little dilemma when it comes to maternity leave. I fully intend to take 12 weeks of time off from when she is born. Originally my plan was to work right up until I went into labor, whenever that may be. Then I decided if she didn't come by my due date that I would start my maternity leave that week regardless. Its Thanksgiving week so I would already have a few days off anyways. Then a few weeks ago I started getting really sick again, like different sick than what I was feeling in the first trimester. I was dizzy and lightheaded all the time, throwing up and the Zofran wasn't helping. It was really wearing on my mentally to think I could potentially be sick like that for another 7 or 8 weeks so Eric and I decided that I would officially start my maternity leave the week before my due date. We figured having a specific day in mind when I get to quit working as apposed to some arbitrary day I go into labor would help me mentally get through those rough times. Well here we are about a month later and although I am really tired, my feet get swollen every time I'm on them for any extended period of time and my heartburn is raging but....I'm not sick. Don't get me wrong, I could do without the heartburn and lack of sleep but its livable and again...I'm not sick. Now I think maybe I should just bight the bullet and keep working. I have friends that have done it both ways. A good friend had to start her leave two weeks before her due date as it is her companie's policy, she said she really enjoyed the time to just relax and prepare for labor. However she works for a private company that offers paid and unpaid maternity leave so she had a lot more time to work with. Another friend worked until the day she went into to labor and said it was no big deal. I mean sure, she didn't want to be there those last couple weeks but it meant more time with baby (that would be paid!). I think I'm going to play it by ear and see how I feel in the next two weeks and if I'm fine maybe Ill at least work another half week.

What do you think? Go ahead and start my leave, even if it means another unpaid week on the end or suck it up and work until my due date????

36 Weeks

How the Baby is growing:

This week Baby Girl W weighs almost 6 pounds, like a crenshaw melon (whatever that is...) and measures more than 18 and 1/2 inches long!



I sort of think she may be even bigger than 6 pounds, especially due to my crazy weight gain at my last doc apt (nothing to worry about but more than I usually put on between appointments). I asked the doctor her prediction for birth weight and she said she thought right around 8 pounds. That may sound large to you people but considering I was 10 pounds 11 ounces( you read that right, almost 11 pounds...but I was 4 weeks and 1 day late) and Eric was 8 pounds 7 ounces ...an 8 pound baby sounds just fine to me!!!

How I am changing:

My belly is still growing! :) And by the looks of it I have dropped! When you compare pics from the last few weeks you can see where my belly used to be rounded starting right below the breasts but now it is more sloped like a teardrop.

I have been feeling much better than I was a few weeks ago! (Thank the lord) I am really starting to feel the exhaustion though. I find that on Tuesdays (when I have court and I am on my feet all day) I apparently use of my energy for the week. I come home ready to crash and I don't seem to recover until the weekend! Doesn't make for the most productive employee but I'm doing my best!

I am still feeling the dreaded heartburn and although I'm not really having "morning sickness" I did get sick in the middle of the night and I think heartburn is to blame. Last night I tried sleeping with an extra pillow so I would be more elevated, I think it helped with the heartburn but it wasn't too comfortable considering I am supposed to sleep on my side. Tonight I will have to try something different.

Fun Stuff:

This week we decided to hire a doula to assist during labor. If you don't know what a doula is she is essentially a labor coach. Someone with experience with labor that can help you achieve the labor experience you want. I'm really excited!

We also decided on our Pediatrician this week. We were able to meet with a doctor at Pediatric Associates and we really liked her!

We did a little more work on the last minute nursery touches this past weekend as well. No picture updates just yet but as soon as we are officially done I will post pics, I promise! It is looking so good and coming together just like a pictured it!

My friend Lindsay's due date is this Friday! Think good thoughts for her as this is her first child! Love you Lindsay Sue! You can do it!



35 Weeks and my absenteeism...

So I have been a little MIA the last few weeks...between two awful sickness weeks, THREE baby showers, a garage sale, out of town visitors and other crazy happenings I let the blogging slip...but I'm back with an update now! Better late than never!

How the baby is growing:

This week Baby Girl W tips the scales at 5 and 1/4 pounds and measures about 18 inches, about the feel of a honeydew melon!





How I am changing:

Where to begin. Lets just say it has been a long few weeks. As you know if you have kept up with my pregnancy I was pretty sick from about 7 weeks until at least 18 weeks. It seemed to taper off and be an "every once in awhile" thing at that point. Well...about two or three weeks ago I started getting sick again, only this time it was different. When I was really sick in the first trimester the doctor prescribed me Zofran. Its essentially an anti-nausea medicine, it didn't make me feel perfect but if I set my alarm for 30 minutes before I had to get up and took the pill I did not throw up when I actually got out of bed. When I started feeling better I stopped taking the pill everyday and moved to an "as needed" basis. Eventually as needed became never, something I was very happy with! When I started getting sick a few weeks ago I tried taking the pill...but it didn't help. Several times I would take the pill and get sick not 30 minutes later. Plus I was feeling weak and light headed and even dizzy at times. The doc even sent me in for a non stress test, just in case. Everything was fine, baby is great. They did all the regular tests at my appointment, blood pressure, blood draw, etc....nothing is wrong. The answer...probably just pregnancy hormones raging. Awesome. Do not get me wrong, I would NEVER want anything to be wrong but its a little hard to hear that its just pregnancy and I might be sick for 7 more weeks! Luckily in the last week things seem to have gotten better. Again, not perfect, but better and I will take what I can get!

The heartburn is still raging and getting worse at night before bed. I am LIVING off of Tums Smoothies! On the bright side I do not seem to have heartburn on days when I have nausea. Just one of god's little blessings! 

I have been feel a whole lot more fatigue these days. I think it is a combination of the extra activities I ahve had going on and the fact that I am 35 weeks pregnant! Its gets hard to carry around a little person all day! LOL! I have only almost fell asleep at work once or twice...no big deal! 

The belly is growing and growing! Although many people tell me I am quite small for how far along I am it is still quite a change in my body that feels huge to me! Sometimes it still catches me off guard! Here is the belly at 33 weeks and at 35 weeks since I missed a few posts:

33 Weeks

35 Weeks

I am still feeling Baby Girl move and kick like crazy! She also seems to get the hiccups about once a day! I honestly don't mind it one bit...unless I am trying to go to sleep! Babycenter tells me that she will be changing positions less due to her size in the uterus. She is hopefully head down (I'm going to see if the doc can tell at my appointment on Thursday) and getting ready to drop! If you look at the last two weeks it kind of appears that I may have begun to drop but its hard to tell because the pics are exactly to scale! We try but its hard! 

The fun stuff:

We have been blessed with THREE Baby Showers over the last month and each was amazing. I plan to do a separate post recapping then but a BIG thank you to my co-workers, my incredible Greenville friends and Spartanburg friends.

This past weekend my bestie Chrisoula and her husband came up to visit from Florida for our baby shower. We had an amazing (and EXHAUSTING!) weekend. We celebrated Baby Girl W ( in costume) on Saturday and went to Fall for Greenville on Sunday, my FAVORITE fall festival. It was so nice to be able to spend some time with them before the Baby comes. Hopefully the next time they visit we will have a little one. (They are hoping to stop by on their way home from Thanksgiving in North Carolina!)

Some great news! Another wonderful friend Lauren had her baby girl Nora FOUR WEEKS EARLY! Nora Mary Elizabeth Mersberger is here and doing great! Congrats Lauren and Freddy!