Thursday, June 19, 2014

Lilla: 2 Weeks Old

In Lilla's second week we had a lot of fun! We started the week with Lilla's newborn photo shoot. That was an experience...much different with a toddler... We found a local photographer that seemed great so we decided to try her out and I was very impressed! The session took A LOT longer than I thought it would between Amelia being a crazy unpredictable 2 year old and Lilla deciding she didn't need to sleep but I think in the end we got a lot of great pics! I can't wait to see them!


On Sunday June 1st (Happy Birthday Grandpa Bob) Nana arrived! We were all so excited to see her since the last time was Christmas! Nana got right to work playing with her two beautiful granddaughters and helping me around the house.  People keep asking me how I am adjusting to two kids and I feel like I can't answer because I haven't had to do it by myself yet. Between Bob and Mary Ann and Abby and my mom Penny I have had SO MUCH help. I am so thankful and a little scared for when they are all gone...oh well, I'll figure it out I'm sure! :)



We spent the week "relaxing" at home. We ventured on a few walks and one park play date with the neighborhood kids. We did try to run a few errands...again...interesting...



On Saturday June 7th we went to the Milwaukee County Zoo for Eric's Company picnic. We had a great time. Lilla basically slept the whole time but Amelia had so much fun. She is at such a great ago for the Zoo. More on that outing in another post.

Lilla is still asleep most of the time. She is slowly having periods of wakefulness but they are short. Nighttime sleep is going pretty well. We have had a couple really rough nights but most nights we are only up 2 or 3 times at the most. She has even had 2 nights were she only woke up 1 time, sleeping 5 and 6 hours straight!


Breastfeeding is also going really well. Lilla has been a pro nurser from day 1. Some days she nurses around the clock and other days she sleeps longer periods and nurses every 2-3 hours. She loves to cluster feed in the evenings...sometimes only going 30-45 min between feedings. I don't mind this at all except for the fact that she is not my only child! Amelia seems to always need me right when Lilla wants to nurse so that causes drama...

Speaking of Big Sister, she is doing GREAT with Lilla. She loves her more than anything and wants to hold her and touch her and talk to her all the time. She lets us know of Lilla is crying or needs us. She will grab blankets or diapers or the nursing pillow for me. She doesn't love it when Lilla cries and will sometimes make a really loud noise, I'm not sure if she is trying to out do Lilla or what. Her overall behavior has been...interesting. She is a 2 year old through and through. She has taken a real liking to the word no and is very mommy dependent. She wants me to do everything for her, especially while I'm feeding Lilla. It makes things hard on me as I feel bad I can't do those things for her. Overall she is a great big sister and I'm sure the drama will die down!



2 week stats:
9 lb 3 oz , 75th percentile (up about 1.5 lbs since 3 day apt, my good little eater!)
22.5 in, 95th percentile
36 cm, 50th percentile

Friday, June 6, 2014

Our first week. (the second time around)

Well here we are one week out from the delivery of our second baby girl. Being a true family of 4 hasn't really set in yet as Amelia has been at the Wagner's for a few days giving Eric and I time to bond with the baby and (lets face it) sleep. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

We came home from the hospital on Sunday afternoon (the 25th). We technically were supposed to stay until Monday but I was feeling good and Lilla was doing great so we just decided to go home. I think Eric was over sleeping on the pull out couch. (although it was WAY better than the "window seat" he slept in when Amelia was born!)


We spent Sunday evening with Amelia and the Wagner's and Monday morning they headed to Iowa for the week. I was really sad to be away from Amelia but it ended up being great for everyone. More on that in a minute. I had my first post baby beer and it was glorious! :)


Because my recovery was SO MUCH EASIER this time around Eric and I spent the week hanging out with Lilla and doing things around the house. It is amazing to wake up after 9 months and have all nausea and heartburn just gone. My not so enjoyable symptoms seemed to last the entirety of my pregnancy this time around, I was nauseous in the morning until the last day and even threw up a few times that last week. Honestly it was beginning to feel "normal" like it would always be that way. Then poof, baby comes out and the symptoms are gone! Hallelujah! Due to, I'm sure, the vast reduction in labor and pushing time my physical...repercussions...of labor were a lot more mild this time around. At a week out I'm very happy with how I feel and how I look and I could NOT say that after Amelia's birth. Sure I'm a little sore and tired but everyday I feel so much closer to normal. We even made it out on a little walk in the first week!


Lilla is sleeping pretty well. Nothing monumental, well, we did get one 5 hour stretch, but other than that its been every 2-3 hour at night with a couple of rough nights thrown in for good measure. During the day she basically sleeps, nurses...then goes back to sleep. It doesn't seem to be affecting her nights so I'm not worried yet but I don't remember Amelia being this sleepy. I may have forgotten though!



Nursing is going GREAT. Lilla latched on like a pro at the hospital and never stopped. She really likes to nurse and I nurse on demand so sometimes its every hour! Its usually every 1.5 -2.5 hours which is pretty normal I think. She likes to cluster feed in the evenings so hopefully eventually that will lead to nice long periods of sleep! A girl can dream... :)

Lilla left the hospital weighing 7 lb 12 oz, losing only 2% of her birth weight. At her 3 day check up she was already back to 7 lb, 14.5 oz so she is doing great. No jaundice to worry about or any other issues!


Amelia (in the short time she has spent with her before and after her Iowa trip) is in LOVE with her baby sister. She wants to touch and hold and hug her constantly. Although she has FOR SURE shown jealousy and acted out she has not directed any of that at Lilla. She did get pretty upset when Lilla cried once and yelled at her to stop but we explained that that was how babies communicated and she seemed cool with that and hasn't reacted that way since. She really doesn't understand why Lilla doesn't smile for pictures. :)

Amelia having a blast in Iowa!




We spent Lilla's one week birthday taking newborn/family pictures. WOW...that was an adventure. I loved the photographer and I feel confident we got a lot of great shots but neither of my beautiful girls really cooperated... Regardless I can't wait to see how the pictures turned out! :)



Here's to another fun week! Amelia is home and Nana is here!


Lilla's Birth Story

Much like my "plan" with Amelia's birth, going into Lilla's birth my plan was to have as few interventions as possible to achieve a healthy vaginal birth and although things certainly didn't go perfectly I did in fact achieve that goal.

I had been having braxton hicks contractions throughout the second half of my pregnancy so I was very hesitant to believe that anything was real, in fact, the night before I went into labor I had some more significant contractions that I thought could be real that just puttered out so I REALLY didn't think it was real when it actually started. Especially since I was 9 (or 6-7 depending on who is counting..) days early!

On Friday May 23rd around 2:30 PM I started having contractions. They didn't hurt, weren't really uncomfortable but I noticed them. I didn't bother timing because I didn't believe it was the real thing. I had my 39 week check up scheduled for 3:45 PM that day so I figured I would just see what the Doc said! I got to my appointment and let Dr. Cosner know that I had been having light contractions but that I hadn't timed them. She checked me and said I was a "good 4" and 75% effaced so if contractions continued I should head on in! She let me know she was not on call and that if I went in that night Dr. Windsor would deliver. I left my appointment and headed home. I had one contraction in the car that felt a little uncomfortable  but I still had no idea how close they were coming.

When I got home I told Eric what the doctor said and decided I needed to test out these contractions to see if they were real. I decided to sit down in the backyard with a glass of water while Eric and Amelia worked in the yard. I sat for 20 or so minutes and during the time I had 3 or 4 contractions and one that "hurt." I have that in quotes because pain is so relative... That contraction and the consistency convinced me this was real. We started making calls! First I called Abby so she could get on the road from Chicago to stay with Amelia. Then we called our doula and our parents. I also called my neighbor who would watch Amelia if Abby didn't get here in time.

One last belly pic before S got real! 

Around 6:30 Ariel (our doula) arrived and we sent Amelia to Katie's to wait for Abby. Side note...we almost didn't get our doula because she had another client go into labor a couple hours before me! Neither of us were due so it was a big surprise for all! Her other client ended up heading home after being checked at the hospital so Ariel came to me and sent her back up to the other client. She attended my entire birth then went to the other birth that was still going on! Don't feel too bad for the other client though, apparently the contractions weren't bothering her one bit!

By the time Ariel arrived the contractions were picking up in intensity. It was strange I would have a very intense contraction, then 2 minutes later I would have a mini contraction, then 4 minutes later I would have another intense contraction. We decided to try the tub and although it felt nice to sit in the water I wouldn't say it helped with the contractions. The contractions started to pick up and got closer together. We decided it was time to head to the hospital. I had a lot of anxiety with this decision that I wasn't expecting. I was honestly afraid I was going to get there and be told I was still a 4...just like with Amelia's birth. I knew that will hurt my drive to get through this. Regardless we got in the car, I rode in the back on all fours because sitting down didn't seem like an option.

We arrived at the hospital around 8 PM. Because it was after hours we had to enter through the ER. They brought out a wheelchair and called Labor and Delivery (who knew we were on our way). I had some....loud...contractions on the walk in and while I was being transported to the elevator to meet the L and D nurse. Apparently I had the ER people really freaked out, which just cracks me up...its the ER....but apparently people are just afraid of women in labor! :)

I was taken into a room and checked immediately. I was a 7.5!!!!! I was soooooooo happy to hear this and it gave me the boost I needed as the contractions were getting pretty painful at this point....or so I thought. They also put in my IV port and did a little monitoring. The IV took 4 tries....they would get the needle in, I would have a contraction and my vein would burst...ouch. After a little monitoring I was free to roam the room so I labored all over the place! I tried the ball, the toilet and the shower.

Around 10 PM I was feeling a lot of pressure. Because my water hadn't broken the nurses told me they would only check me if I asked. I thought, hey, i was a 7.5 when I got here, its been 2 hours, I feel pressure...maybe its time! Nope... the nurse checked me and said "maybe an 8"...I think she was just being nice...

I started to lose my resolve at this point, all I could think about was my labor with Amelia. Back to the shower I went for another hour or so. My contractions became very painful at this point and I started to tell Eric and Ariel that I could not do it anymore. After several painful contractions we decided to have the Doctor break my water. I felt great about this decision considering I was at least dilated to 7.5 and with Amelia it actually gave me a little break from the pain. Well...that is not how it happened this time. At about 11:30 they called in the Doctor and she checked me and told me I was a "7, maybe an 8" meaning I had not progressed AT ALL the entire time I was at the hospital! She broke my water and as soon as the bag popped I had my worst contraction yet. It was double the intensity, triple peaked and lasted what felt like forever. I had several of these insane contractions on top of each other and I just knew I was done. I told Eric I needed the Epidural. Eric and Ariel both told me how strong I was and how proud of me they were and that they knew I could do it but I knew it was time. The nurse seemed a little worried, I remember her telling me we had to get the Doctor back in to check me in case the breaking of the bag did the trick and dilated me the rest of the way. I also would need IV fluids and I would need to sit still. This concerned her because the contractions were so painful (I honestly felt like my body was ripping apart from the inside...) I would thrash and arch my back during...not good for getting an epidural, you know the whole you might be paralyzed if you move thing... Well the Doc checked me, the breaking of the water did nothing, I got my IV fluids and the anesthesiologist came in. SOMEHOW I managed to sit still-ish long enough for her to get it in.

The Epidural went in around 12:30, it took about 20-25 minutes to take full effect. Then the nurse let me rest for another 20-25 minutes. When she came back to check on me she said I was a 10 and she could feel the babies head! It was time to push! I pushed for about 2.5 contractions before she was out at 1:32 AM. It was crazy how fast she came. The Doctor did an amazing job of guiding my pushing, despite her shooting out I only needed 1 stitch!



All in all, just like Amelia's birth, my water didn't break and my body stopped dilating BUT I feel really good about how this birth went. I know what I can and cannot handle and the epidural was only on for 1 hour. With out next child, god willing, I will plan to get an epidural but I will wait as long as I can.

Lillian "Lilla" Claire Wagner came out beautiful and healthy, she was placed immediately on my chest for skin to skin and breastfed within the first hour. She weighed in a 8 Lbs, 1 Oz and was 21 inches long. We are so blessed to have to healthy beautiful girls!






Monday, June 2, 2014

Welcome to the world...

Welcome to the World....





Lillian "Lilla" Claire Wagner

Born 9 DAYS early on 5/24/14 at 1:32 AM.

8 lbs 1 oz, 21 Inches.

Amelia and Lilla's Birth Stories to come! (for some reason I never posted Amelia's even though I wrote it right away.)

Baby Girl #2: 39 Weeks

HOW FAR ALONG: 39 Weeks...time really got away from me, turns out being super pregnant with a toddler makes things busy...

GENDER: Girl

WEIGHT GAIN/LOSS:  Per the doctor at 39 week check up, up 25 pounds

STRETCH MARKS: none thank god...I know I shouldn't care but I really really do

SWELLING:  a little in the ankles but nothing notable

MATERNITY CLOTHES:  yes but I'm basically rotating 3-4 outfits, I'm not comfortable in jeans so I try to wear leggings and yoga pants most of the time...fun and fashionable! ;)

BELLY BUTTON: Outtie, full blown, way more so than with Amelia.

SLEEP: I'm being really good about taking my calcium magnesium supplement and unfortunately Zantac nightly and it has GREATLY improved my sleep. Its not perfect but its so much better.

CRAVINGS: Nothing to report really.

SYMPTOMS:  Nothing new really.

MOVEMENT: Movement seems to have slowed down but I think its just because she is out of room to move. Still consistently moving every day!

WHAT I MISS:  NOT BEING PREGNANT

WHAT I'M LOVING: The idea of NO LONGER BEING PREGNANT SOON. I'm also soaking up Amelia time and extra hugs and kisses.

WHAT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO: Meeting this little girl! Seeing Amelia as a big sister.

BIG SIS UPDATE: Amelia has been very affectionate lately telling me she loves me unprompted. It has been very nice. She also randomly tells me "Your the best," its kind of our new thing. :)

(crappy pic...I forgot to take a "real" one and then I wasn't pregnant anymore...)


Baby Girl #2: 32 Weeks

HOW FAR ALONG: 32 Weeks and I somehow feel like that sounds so far along yet its still so far away...

GENDER: Girl

WEIGHT GAIN/LOSS:  Per the doctor at 32 week check up, up 16 pounds

STRETCH MARKS: I seem to be OK. If my belly gets really dry I get the red marks that look like stretch marks but as long as I really lotion it up it goes away. I have been using Amelia's Eczema cream and Coconut oil depending on how dry it is.

SWELLING:  I have been walking A LOT lately now that it is finally nice enough to walk and twice after about 2 miles I had some slight swelling in my feet. Not so much that you could see but I could feel it.

MATERNITY CLOTHES:  YEP!

BELLY BUTTON: Half outie, half flat, Amelia asked me what it was today...that was kind of funny. I don't think she believed me when I told her it was my belly button...

SLEEP: Still not great. On days where I get good exercise I sleep better. Ive switched up my pillow situation so that I'm more propped up and I have a wedge in front and a pillow in back and that helps with reflux and cramping but I'm still waking up many times. oh well.

CRAVINGS: Nothing to report really.

SYMPTOMS:  Still nauseous first thing in the morning. Still have heartburn. Still having braxton hicks contractions. Still tired. I have had some interesting pelvic pressure a few times...that was new and...interesting.

MOVEMENT: Sometimes I think she is trying to break out.

WHAT I MISS:  Still miss drinking...call it what you want to call it. I miss sleeping well but that's not coming back anytime soon. I miss having one day where I don't feel a little yuck...I just want one day.

WHAT I'M LOVING: I'm nesting and that's fun. I discovered Norwex so Ive been cleaning more which Eric loves.

WHAT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO: Getting the nursery painted so I can set it up...in the next two weeks!

BIG SIS UPDATE: I have started pulling out clothes and whatnot for the new baby and Amelia likes to point out what is for Baby Sister and what is hers and what she is too big for. Hopefully she is this cool with sharing her old stuff when Baby Sister actually gets here...