Perhaps I have become lazy now that I have two little girls to write about except one...
I feel sorry that I can't capture every developmental milestone like I did for Tay, but the world still knows what's going on because of Facebook. I think because it's so much easier to write short status rather than writing a whole blog entry for each event, I have resorted to doing that to let people know what's going on with our little family. Anyhow, that's just lazy, I think, on my part...so I really ought to get on it and write. Enough making excuses and on with the post...
Since November, Riley has hit quite a few milestones. She has grown like a weed, of course. At her two month check-up, she weighed over 15 pounds and was already rolling from belly to back. At her four month check up, she was 17 pounds and 10 ounces and rolling in both directions. We thought we had a thumb-sucker on our hands because for a while she constantly sucked her hands and her thumb, but now she has relinquished the thumb and just licks her hands or whatever happens to be near her mouth and sometimes she sucks it for a few moments and then resumes licking. Riley must have been born with an appetite for solids because even before she was three months old, she would drool and demand whatever food we were eating. We got a really hilarious video of her getting mad while her sister ate a cheese stick right in front of her without sharing. I decided to start her on solids just a little past her four-month birthday, and it has been hugely successful. I made my own rice soup for her and she ate it like a champ. One day after work, I was so hungry I was eating a pita and dipping it in some homemade hummus. Riley was watching me and drooling a waterfall...and then she started getting mad that I wasn't sharing. I decided to give her a taste, so I dipped my finger in the hummus and let her taste...oh my. She LOVED it. She was demanding more. I didn't think she could handle a lot yet, so I just gave her one more dipped finger, and she grabbed my hand as soon as she saw it and shoved my finger in her mouth! I knew she was definitely ready for more than just rice soup. Then, we introduced green beans and rice puree, which she loved even more. We introduced some prunes as well because she hadn't poo-ed in more days than I was used to...she made some interesting faces to that, but she did get to liking it. She has also had a couple tastes of banana, too, as Tay and I made some banana muffins one evening. :)
Riley seems to enjoy getting read to...especially if she can see the books and the colorful pages. I enjoy lying in between my girls and reading a book to them together...it doesn't last super-long, but it's so wonderful while it lasts.
I'd like to mention here that this post is not chronologically arranged...I'm just writing as I remember.
Christmas was a blast with the two kids. Of course it would have been nice to see some family, but it was also very nice having a nice cozy Christmas, just the four of us. Christmas was even more fun this year than last because Tay had a blast opening all the great presents she got and even helped Riley open her presents. We had a nice lazy day. I absolutely love the Christmas season.
Shortly after Christmas, on 29 December 2010 to be precise, Riley turned 100 days old so we got a little cake, dressed the girls up in pretty dresses and had our own little party in the comfort of our home. Also, that day marked the first day that Riley rolled from back to front! What another great way to mark a milestone. On a side-note, we didn't do a big 100-day celebration because our entire household was recovering from the sniffles...that nasty cough lingered for over two weeks! Yuck. For the first time ever, I had to suction a baby's nose so she could eat easier. Poor thing.
2011 arrived and I made us dduk-guk for dinner that night. I can't remember what we did that morning during the day, though...why?
I've noticed that Riley really enjoys being on her tummy for the most part. She sometimes seems to prefer being on her belly rather than her back. Perhaps it's because she's on her back the majority of the time, but she definitely gets a kick out of rolling over on to her belly and looking around. Now her arm strength is getting much stronger so she rotates on her belly as she needs to to reach toys and such. Just recently, (mid Feb) she has started to scoot on her belly by doing the "inch worm"...she puts her face down on the mat, scoots her behind up in the air, then pushes forward with her knees on her belly and face. She doesn't scoot far, so I'm not so concerned that she'll get mat-burn on her face, but it's a concern that we'll probably have soon enough...ugh.
This past weekend was the Coex Baby Fair. Riley and I were "live" models to demonstrate the use of the Moby Wrap for two shifts - Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon. It was quite an adventure with SO many people, but because she's just so darn cute, she made an excellent model because everyone would first look at her and then ask me about the wrap! :) It worked out well...hopefully we helped make some sales.
Well, in other news, I have changed jobs and this week will be my first week at the new job. It'll be a steep learning curve, I think, but I will enjoy the challenge! Hopefully this job will also motivate me to write a bit more regularly...maybe. Or maybe it'll have me so busy I'll give up writing all together!!! Hopefully not...
Looking forward to another great month with my family and my ever-growing sweet baby girl. Happy five month birthday, Shinah Riley!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Friday, November 12, 2010
Riley Rolls Over; a catch-up entry...
At a mere seven weeks and four days old, our little Riley rolled over from her belly to her back, much to her surprise! Usually in the mornings when she wakes up, I bring her out to the living room floor mat and we do stretching and some tummy time because she's fairly content and relaxed and quite playful. This morning, we were moving slowly, so Tay was also awake and Tita Beth had already arrived at the house. I placed her on her tummy on the mat to see if she'd reach for some toys we had set in front of her, and after doing a little mini-push-up and holding her head and shoulders up a while, she suddenly rolled onto her back going to the right. She looked so surprised and we were all so surprised that we yelped with joy and laughter (which I'm sure startled the little one even more). Anyhow, we wanted to see if it was just a mistake, so I placed her once again on her belly, and less than two seconds later, there she went, rolling immediately to her right and startling herself again and flailing on her back. :) We decided to let her try again, so she went on her tummy again, and with a few more grunts this time, she flipped herself right over onto her back once again. YAY! :) Perhaps tomorrow morning, I can get it on video...
I feel awful that this is my first posting on Riley since she has been born, but life is much more hectic with two little girls to entertain than it was with one. As for milestones, the rolling over one is probably the first really big milestone for her, but she has already passed many of the smaller ones. She has been lifting her head when lying on her tummy since birth, almost...whenever I'd put her on my stomach as I lay on my back, she'd lift her head to look at my face. She studies faces like they are the most interesting things on Earth...especially new faces. She always turns toward the sound of her big sister...:) She smiles and coos a lot in the morning and after every nap when she's at her happiest. She chuckls in her sleep...which I personally find hilarious...when she's dreaming, you can actually hear her go "hm-hm-hm-hm-hm" with a huge smile on her face. She hasn't actually done that awake yet, but I think she's going to have a great sense of humor much like her big sister. Around five weeks, she noticed her hand for the first time and stared at it for a while before hitting herself in the eye with it. Then, she didn't know what to do, so she got all upset and made sad faces until I picked her up. Earlier this week, I had laid her in her little floor mat gym and she stared intently at the hanging toys for a while with her hands by her side, then suddenly, she swung her right hand up and batted one of the toys! When she did that, her eyes got really big and both her arms and legs started flailing, but she didn't do much more coordinated hitting after that...mostly accidental batting, I think. She smiles a lot at any face that's smiling at her, including stuffed animals and dolls.
I have a feeling she's going to be as talkative as her big sister because she'll gurgle and coo at anyone who's talking to her, but especially her big sister. She really enjoys the interaction and will spend quite a long time just lying on the mat as long as someone is talking to her and listening to her. She's generally a very happy baby and also a very good sleeper. Her hardest time is between 6 and 8pm when she's most cranky. Our nightly routine now is she gets a bath while her big sister is getting a bath, then a nice little massage and swaddling, nursing, then put down for sleep...usually by 7:30. Then she'll sleep until three or four in the morning! Last night, she slept until 5:15 in the morning and woke up STARVING! :) She's been doing that for a couple weeks now already...it makes my life so much easier. :) If by chance she doesn't get a bath, though, she definitely wakes up many more times in the night. I think the bath relaxes her and she sleeps so much better. Her big sister was much like that as well, and I had a good sleeper until around 4 months when she started waking up more frequently in the middle of the night...I attribute it to a growth spurt...perhaps it will be the same with this one, too.
Speaking of growth, Riley's growing like a weed! Her birth weight was 3.47 kgs (7lbs, 10oz), her one week weight was 3.85 kgs (8lbs, 8oz), and her one month weight was 5.2 kgs (11lbs, 7oz)! I have her two-month appointment scheduled for the 18th, so we'll see how much she weighs then, and perhaps they'll do a length measurement, too. She looks fairly long now, as opposed to when she was first born and she was just this tiny, curled-up bundle. I'm thankful that I am able to breastfeed and that it is plenty for my little one because it is just so much easier than having to prepare and warm bottles and such, but I must admit, pumping is not my favorite thing in the world...
Going back to work full time in a short six weeks after delivery has been a rough adjustment. Work has been very lenient with my pumping and feeding schedule, so I am able to go home at lunch time every day and pump twice/three times a day. I don't really like having to pump in the bathroom - it's quite chilly and not the most comfortable environment - but luckily, my milk lets down pretty quickly and my quantity is going up since I nurse on demand when I'm home, so the routine is getting easier. I think the first week back, I had some major tension headaches because of the stress of coming back to work and getting back into the swing of things while having to leave my little baby at home. Luckily, the baby is not with a stranger and I know she's very well taken care of, so that part was a little easier than I thought it would be.
I can't complain about how things are going right now because it is only getting easier. The girls are doing very well and are generally quite happy the way things are. I'm getting accustomed to being at work again, although it's hard to focus on work when all I can think about are my babies back home. I look forward to the holidays this year as a family of four...although it would be nice to be able to spend them with our extended family back in the States.
How thankful I am for the life I lead...I truly cannot ask for more.
Rosa
I feel awful that this is my first posting on Riley since she has been born, but life is much more hectic with two little girls to entertain than it was with one. As for milestones, the rolling over one is probably the first really big milestone for her, but she has already passed many of the smaller ones. She has been lifting her head when lying on her tummy since birth, almost...whenever I'd put her on my stomach as I lay on my back, she'd lift her head to look at my face. She studies faces like they are the most interesting things on Earth...especially new faces. She always turns toward the sound of her big sister...:) She smiles and coos a lot in the morning and after every nap when she's at her happiest. She chuckls in her sleep...which I personally find hilarious...when she's dreaming, you can actually hear her go "hm-hm-hm-hm-hm" with a huge smile on her face. She hasn't actually done that awake yet, but I think she's going to have a great sense of humor much like her big sister. Around five weeks, she noticed her hand for the first time and stared at it for a while before hitting herself in the eye with it. Then, she didn't know what to do, so she got all upset and made sad faces until I picked her up. Earlier this week, I had laid her in her little floor mat gym and she stared intently at the hanging toys for a while with her hands by her side, then suddenly, she swung her right hand up and batted one of the toys! When she did that, her eyes got really big and both her arms and legs started flailing, but she didn't do much more coordinated hitting after that...mostly accidental batting, I think. She smiles a lot at any face that's smiling at her, including stuffed animals and dolls.
I have a feeling she's going to be as talkative as her big sister because she'll gurgle and coo at anyone who's talking to her, but especially her big sister. She really enjoys the interaction and will spend quite a long time just lying on the mat as long as someone is talking to her and listening to her. She's generally a very happy baby and also a very good sleeper. Her hardest time is between 6 and 8pm when she's most cranky. Our nightly routine now is she gets a bath while her big sister is getting a bath, then a nice little massage and swaddling, nursing, then put down for sleep...usually by 7:30. Then she'll sleep until three or four in the morning! Last night, she slept until 5:15 in the morning and woke up STARVING! :) She's been doing that for a couple weeks now already...it makes my life so much easier. :) If by chance she doesn't get a bath, though, she definitely wakes up many more times in the night. I think the bath relaxes her and she sleeps so much better. Her big sister was much like that as well, and I had a good sleeper until around 4 months when she started waking up more frequently in the middle of the night...I attribute it to a growth spurt...perhaps it will be the same with this one, too.
Speaking of growth, Riley's growing like a weed! Her birth weight was 3.47 kgs (7lbs, 10oz), her one week weight was 3.85 kgs (8lbs, 8oz), and her one month weight was 5.2 kgs (11lbs, 7oz)! I have her two-month appointment scheduled for the 18th, so we'll see how much she weighs then, and perhaps they'll do a length measurement, too. She looks fairly long now, as opposed to when she was first born and she was just this tiny, curled-up bundle. I'm thankful that I am able to breastfeed and that it is plenty for my little one because it is just so much easier than having to prepare and warm bottles and such, but I must admit, pumping is not my favorite thing in the world...
Going back to work full time in a short six weeks after delivery has been a rough adjustment. Work has been very lenient with my pumping and feeding schedule, so I am able to go home at lunch time every day and pump twice/three times a day. I don't really like having to pump in the bathroom - it's quite chilly and not the most comfortable environment - but luckily, my milk lets down pretty quickly and my quantity is going up since I nurse on demand when I'm home, so the routine is getting easier. I think the first week back, I had some major tension headaches because of the stress of coming back to work and getting back into the swing of things while having to leave my little baby at home. Luckily, the baby is not with a stranger and I know she's very well taken care of, so that part was a little easier than I thought it would be.
I can't complain about how things are going right now because it is only getting easier. The girls are doing very well and are generally quite happy the way things are. I'm getting accustomed to being at work again, although it's hard to focus on work when all I can think about are my babies back home. I look forward to the holidays this year as a family of four...although it would be nice to be able to spend them with our extended family back in the States.
How thankful I am for the life I lead...I truly cannot ask for more.
Rosa
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Postpartum...
I titled this post a long time ago...about two weeks after birth...and never got around to sitting down and writing. I have been meaning to write about this thing called "baby blues" because I think I experienced this for the first time, even though it was my second pregnancy and birth. The first time, I know I was a bit moody, but I didn't feel completely helpless and hopless like I did in that first week after I gave birth to Shinah. The term "baby blues" is much to "sweet" of a phrase to describe this terrible feeling that can overcome a new mother. It's not just a feeling of being sad or overwhelmed...it's this rush of spiraling out of control where you feel there is nothing, no one, who can help you and there is absolutely no sign hope of improvement in the future.
During the first week of being home with the baby, I had a moment where and overwhelming feeling of guilt, hopelessness and helplessness came over me and I just lay in my bed and cried and cried...probably for a good hour or so. My mom was there with me and she was talking to me and consoling me, reminding me that "this, too, shall pass," and that this is the way it is at first as a family readjusts itself to grow into an even greater family...and all I could do was lie there and cry, feel guilty, and feel sorry for myself. Why did I feel guilty? Well, it was way past bedtime and the little one needed me to nurse her and the older one just needed me to hold and hug her, but I couldn't do both, so daddy took the older one to try and put her to bed because she was starting to get a little rough to deal with as I sat and nursed the little one. Tay's now screaming in the other room, yelling for Mommy and completely out of control, the little one is crying and trying to nurse at the same time, and all I could think about was putting down the nursing baby so I could go console my big girl, knowing that the little one needed me physically and the big girl needed me emotionally...
I was one person and two people needed me simultaneously and I felt like I was letting both of them down. I couldn't be a good mother to either children by having both children...I wanted to be the mother that I was for Tay for Riley, but I knew I couldn't. I wanted to continue to be the mother that I have been for Tay, but I couldn't. How much more helpless could I get? All I could do was to cry along with the girls with this numb feeling coming over me and a painfully aching heart because it just couldn't love the way I thought it could because I was physically just one person who was trying to physically recover herself...
At that one moment, I thought for certain that I could never succeed as a mother of two. I had let down both my children and I had only been a mother of two for a week. How was I ever to survive many more years of this?
After I finally ran dry of tears, the little one had fallen asleep and the older one had finally escaped from her daddy to come to my bed and tell me she's sorry and that she needed me. I hugged her and told her I was sorry, too, choked back some more tears, and told her good night so she could go back and go to sleep in her bed. After she left (after some more cuddling with me in my bed), I stayed up half the night just talking to my mom about parenting and how I was going to overcome this incredible guilt I felt at my shortcomings for both girls...and ultimately, my mom told me that my love for them will overcome any "shortcomings" I may feel I have...and that feeling of guilt is unnecessary because love only doubles with more children and never divides into lesser amounts. Only time spent becomes less with individual ones, and that will be an adjustment...but the love a mother feels for all children can overcome all odds. Thanks, Umma.
Now that I'm seven weeks into being a mother of two, I think I can handle it. I've had a few successes that have given me the confidence to know I CAN do it and I love both girls more and more each day. Hopefully you'll be able to read about them here someday...when I have time to sit and write for longer than a minute! ;)
Happy and healthy...
Rosa
During the first week of being home with the baby, I had a moment where and overwhelming feeling of guilt, hopelessness and helplessness came over me and I just lay in my bed and cried and cried...probably for a good hour or so. My mom was there with me and she was talking to me and consoling me, reminding me that "this, too, shall pass," and that this is the way it is at first as a family readjusts itself to grow into an even greater family...and all I could do was lie there and cry, feel guilty, and feel sorry for myself. Why did I feel guilty? Well, it was way past bedtime and the little one needed me to nurse her and the older one just needed me to hold and hug her, but I couldn't do both, so daddy took the older one to try and put her to bed because she was starting to get a little rough to deal with as I sat and nursed the little one. Tay's now screaming in the other room, yelling for Mommy and completely out of control, the little one is crying and trying to nurse at the same time, and all I could think about was putting down the nursing baby so I could go console my big girl, knowing that the little one needed me physically and the big girl needed me emotionally...
I was one person and two people needed me simultaneously and I felt like I was letting both of them down. I couldn't be a good mother to either children by having both children...I wanted to be the mother that I was for Tay for Riley, but I knew I couldn't. I wanted to continue to be the mother that I have been for Tay, but I couldn't. How much more helpless could I get? All I could do was to cry along with the girls with this numb feeling coming over me and a painfully aching heart because it just couldn't love the way I thought it could because I was physically just one person who was trying to physically recover herself...
At that one moment, I thought for certain that I could never succeed as a mother of two. I had let down both my children and I had only been a mother of two for a week. How was I ever to survive many more years of this?
After I finally ran dry of tears, the little one had fallen asleep and the older one had finally escaped from her daddy to come to my bed and tell me she's sorry and that she needed me. I hugged her and told her I was sorry, too, choked back some more tears, and told her good night so she could go back and go to sleep in her bed. After she left (after some more cuddling with me in my bed), I stayed up half the night just talking to my mom about parenting and how I was going to overcome this incredible guilt I felt at my shortcomings for both girls...and ultimately, my mom told me that my love for them will overcome any "shortcomings" I may feel I have...and that feeling of guilt is unnecessary because love only doubles with more children and never divides into lesser amounts. Only time spent becomes less with individual ones, and that will be an adjustment...but the love a mother feels for all children can overcome all odds. Thanks, Umma.
Now that I'm seven weeks into being a mother of two, I think I can handle it. I've had a few successes that have given me the confidence to know I CAN do it and I love both girls more and more each day. Hopefully you'll be able to read about them here someday...when I have time to sit and write for longer than a minute! ;)
Happy and healthy...
Rosa
Saturday, October 2, 2010
My Second Labor Story
After about a week of recovery, I finally feel sane enough to right down my second labor story. So here goes...
My mom arrived in Korea at 4:30 in the morning on the 19th of September. Jeff went to pick her up and after they arrived home, we got cleaned up and mom, Tay, and I went to church while Jeff got caught up a bit on sleep. The rest of that day was spent just catching up with mom and we made a run to E-Mart for some basics to fill the kitchen and prepare for after the delivery. After the trip to E-Mart, I was exhausted, and when we got home, I felt a little cramping in my lower stomach, but nothing I thought that was worth noting or worrying about...
Later that evening, we had a nice dinner and my mom left for her sister's house because the next day, 20 September, was the anniversary of my grandmother's passing, so my aunt had rented a van to transport all the sisters down to Daejeon in the morning to visit the grave site. Jeff and I put Tay down for the night around 8:30 and we actually went to bed around 9pm.
I was feeling a little anxious for some reason so I tossed and turned for a bit, but I eventually dozed off until I was awoken by a stronger-than-normal contraction. I got up out of bed because I wanted to know what time it was...it was only 9:30. I didn't think I could fall back asleep right away, so I decided to check my email and facebook. A short while later, I felt another one of the contractions, so I checked the time and it was 9:40. No pain associated with the contractions, though, so I didn't think anything of it. As I'm facebook-stalking my friends, I have another contraction...9:49. Another one at 9:59. Now I'm curious...could this be...early labor? I Google early labor and continue timing the contractions. They keep coming regularly at 9 to 10 minute intervals...still no pain. Then they get a little closer...about 7 to 8 minutes apart. Still no pain...but the Google findings are confirming that I am probably in early labor since the contractions are coming on regularly and getting progressively closer together and not going away when I "change positions" by walking around or sitting for a while or lying on my side. I still haven't woken Jeff yet because I am still not convinced that I'm in labor...
Around 12:45, the contractions are coming about every five minutes now and I'm debating whether or not to wake Jeff up, so at 1am, I decide it might be time to wake up Jeff and let him know I might be in labor. When I tell a very groggy Jeff, he almost leaps out of bed and says, "Let's go!" but I am not in a hurry because I'm still not convinced I'm really in labor. There's still no real pain coming with the contractions, so I guess that's why I just had no sense of urgency...I hadn't gotten to the active labor part yet...perhaps. I finally call my mom at 1:30am at my aunt's house and tell her we're probably going to head to the hospital soon to check if I am in labor and my mom says she'll meet us there...then she says she'll just come straight to our house and go with us to the hospital because I told her we were getting our bag ready to go and that it might be a bit before we actually get out of the house. By 2am, Jeff and I are packed up and ready to go, but my mom hadn't arrived yet...and Jeff's now getting antsy, but I'm still pretty relaxed although my contractions are still coming every five minutes or so. My mom finally arrives, we pick up Tay from her bed (who is still sleeping), we head to the hospital and arrive there at 2:30am. On the drive over, Tay wakes up and she's wired...poor thing.
We first walk into the Emergency Room (ER) because I'm not sure if there's anyone in Labor and Delivery (LD), but the staff in the ER direct me to LD. We walk over to LD and there seems to be only a cleaning staff there and one of the ladies tells me to go on in (no children allowed). We leave a wide-awake Tay with my mom and Jeff and I go in to find out what's going on with me. When I tell them my contractions are coming about five minutes apart and not painful yet, they have me fill out a card and direct me to a tiny labor room. They have me change and such to prep me and check me and tell Jeff to wait outside. Disappointingly, no one is really friendly or smiling, which is bothersome since this should be a happy time...but since it was the middle of the night shift, I assumed they were just all really tired. There were a few other women I could hear laboring, which was also a bit disturbing.
Jeff came back in after I had changed into the hospital gown, so we waited some more for them to come and do a non-stress test and check my contractions. Jeff went out again to check on how Tay and my mom were doing and he brought in all the bags so that my mom didn't have to watch Tay and keep an eye on our bags.
With the monitor on, the contractions were showing that they were still coming every four to five minutes. They checked my dilation and effacement and I was only about 30% effaced and 3cm dilated. After about 30 minutes of the NST, they removed the contraction monitor and kept the heart rate monitor on for the baby. By now it was past 4am and I was getting antsy and uncomfortable from just lying there. I was also getting upset because I had wanted to tell Tay that everything would be okay and that I love her before I was stuck to a hospital bed. I also thought she'd be able to be in the labor room with me for a bit before they had to leave, but they wouldn't let me go back out to see her because I was already dilated. I guess that's the difference between a Korean and American hospital system...I was restricted to the bed entirely even though I still wasn't in any pain from my contractions. Quite frustrating. Anyhow, it was 7am now and Beth was on her way to the hospital to pick up Tay and I really missed her so I asked the nurse again if I could go see her and at least tell her good bye before she went with Beth for the day. They finally said okay, but after their shift change! Ugh...I was frustrated, but I said I'd wait and waited and waited and waited...until finally I called someone in it was someone new, so I knew shift change had happened (by now it was about 7:30 and Beth was already there, but I asked her to wait so I could see Tay before they left). When I mentioned to the nurse that the previous shift nurse had told me I could go see her after shift change, the nurse said she had to check me first and that it was not recommended that I walk anywhere. NOOOOOOOOO!!!! I told her I HAD to go see my daughter and that I would be very very upset if I didn't get to, so when they checked me, I was still at 3cm dilated and just a bit more effaced. So they finally said I could go see her so I got up and walked out (all of 20 yards or so) to see her in the waiting area and got to hug and kiss my sweet big girl...knowing that the next time I saw her, our relationship would change drastically...even though I would still love her all the same...::sigh:: It made me so sad to see her go...seeing her so grown up.
After the brief meeting and farewell, Jeff took Tay and Beth home (where Tay finally fell asleep since she woke up at 2am) and Jeff went into work...for a bit. It was about 7:45 by now.
When I came back in, they checked my dilation once more and told me I was at 4cm now and almost 100% effaced. A good sign! They moved me into a "labor and delivery" room where they informed me I would be delivering there. They also told me my labor was stalling (I was back to having contractions about every five minutes again), so they would be starting me on Pictocin to get things moving again. I let Jeff know that they were going to start me on the drip so things may start moving quickly, so he started making his way back to the hospital. Shortly after they started the drip, the contractions started coming back more frequently (no clock in front of my bed now, so I don't know how frequently) and I started to feel a little bit of pain along with each contraction. I actually had to concentrate and breathe rhythmically to get through them. Nothing worth yelling about, though. Less than four or five of those times of contractions later, another nurse came and checked my progress and I was already 6cm dilated from the previous four! Sweeeeeet. Only concern was that since I had progressed that quickly, they were saying I'd probably be ready to push soon, but Jeff wasn't back yet! Anyhow, the contractions continued to come on stronger, although I couldn't tell if they were coming on more frequently or anything. A few more contractions later, they checked me again and I was at 8cm! The room started to buzz with a few more nurses and they called the doctor to tell him I was almost ready so he should make his way down. The nurse also broke my water (I think) when she last checked me to keep things moving (or else my water broke naturally while she was checking me, but whatever) and after that happened, the contractions were significantly stronger and definitely painful...but still not nearly as painful as I could recall from my first labor. They told me to roll over on my side to help things move along (and reduce my back labor!) so when I did that, MAN, the contractions were much more painful, but still manageable with controlled breathing...and shortly after that, I felt Jeff's hand on my shoulder to tell me he was here. I guess that was Riley's cue, too, because I had that sudden sensation that I really really needed to push really soon! I started to say, "I need to push, I need to push!" but apparently no one understood me except Jeff and my mom...and of course, my mom runs to one of the nurses and tells her that I was ready to push...in ENGLISH. :) Hehehe...not so funny at the time, but funny now that I think about it. Anyhow, eventually they got the message that I was ready to push and they told me not to push too hard because they didn't want me to tear. One of the nurses coached me through the breathing so I wouldn't push too hard and soon everyone was ready to receive the baby and I was ready to push her out of me. I'll spare any further details, but after only about five or six times pushing, Shinah Riley Ryals entered the world at 9:08am. A healthy 3.47 kgs (7 lbs, 10 oz.) little girl born at 38 weeks + 5 days and a whopping 19.5 inches...a whole inch shorter than Tay was when she was born and almost a whole pound lighter than Tay.
As they're discussing various things about the baby and such, one of the nurses asked if I had registered for cord banking and someone responded "No" and oddly enough, I was lucid enough to speak up and say, "YES I DID!" and they came over to me and asked me if I had any paperwork, and luckily...I had all of it, including the receipt of when I paid for it all together in my hospital bag that I had packed! HA! If this had happened with Tay, I definitely would not have been lucid enough to catch the conversation, much less remember that I had all the paperwork in my bag. They brought the bag over to me and I fished out the paperwork and they banked the cord blood right away. We didn't bank Tay's cord blood, but we did decide to do it this time...just on the off chance that we may need it someday. Hopefully not.
Unlike when I had Tay, they wrapped the little bundle up and handed her to me to hold while the nurses were massaging my abdomen so that Riley could get familiar with my scent before they took her to the nursery to be examined, cleaned, etc...I'm not sure where Jeff and my mom went (perhaps with Riley) but the nurses covered me in a super-warm blanket after the doctor left and I was left in the dimmed room to rest and recover for a bit before they moved me to the recovery room in a whole different wing. I also had to remind the nurses again that we wanted to room in with Riley instead of leaving her in the nursery so they would bring her up to the recovery room as soon as she was ready.
All in all, this hospital experience was much worse than my first time around with Tay, but the labor and delivery was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much easier...and I felt lucid the entire time. I never felt out of control and I can clearly remember the entire event with no negative feelings about it. I have no negative feelings about my labor with Tay, but I also can't remember exactly what happened toward the end when I actually started having the stronger contractions. I guess maybe because my body had experienced it before, it was more ready to take it on and my tolerance for pain had grown significantly. I didn't even need to let out a yelp. Jeff likes to remind me that I yelled at him quite a bit in Korean during my first labor. I don't recall any of that.
Anyhow, that is my second labor story, and it was surprisingly pleasant for me. The recovery story will come at a later time. :)
Welcome to our family, Shinah Riley. :) We're so glad to have you!
My mom arrived in Korea at 4:30 in the morning on the 19th of September. Jeff went to pick her up and after they arrived home, we got cleaned up and mom, Tay, and I went to church while Jeff got caught up a bit on sleep. The rest of that day was spent just catching up with mom and we made a run to E-Mart for some basics to fill the kitchen and prepare for after the delivery. After the trip to E-Mart, I was exhausted, and when we got home, I felt a little cramping in my lower stomach, but nothing I thought that was worth noting or worrying about...
Later that evening, we had a nice dinner and my mom left for her sister's house because the next day, 20 September, was the anniversary of my grandmother's passing, so my aunt had rented a van to transport all the sisters down to Daejeon in the morning to visit the grave site. Jeff and I put Tay down for the night around 8:30 and we actually went to bed around 9pm.
I was feeling a little anxious for some reason so I tossed and turned for a bit, but I eventually dozed off until I was awoken by a stronger-than-normal contraction. I got up out of bed because I wanted to know what time it was...it was only 9:30. I didn't think I could fall back asleep right away, so I decided to check my email and facebook. A short while later, I felt another one of the contractions, so I checked the time and it was 9:40. No pain associated with the contractions, though, so I didn't think anything of it. As I'm facebook-stalking my friends, I have another contraction...9:49. Another one at 9:59. Now I'm curious...could this be...early labor? I Google early labor and continue timing the contractions. They keep coming regularly at 9 to 10 minute intervals...still no pain. Then they get a little closer...about 7 to 8 minutes apart. Still no pain...but the Google findings are confirming that I am probably in early labor since the contractions are coming on regularly and getting progressively closer together and not going away when I "change positions" by walking around or sitting for a while or lying on my side. I still haven't woken Jeff yet because I am still not convinced that I'm in labor...
Around 12:45, the contractions are coming about every five minutes now and I'm debating whether or not to wake Jeff up, so at 1am, I decide it might be time to wake up Jeff and let him know I might be in labor. When I tell a very groggy Jeff, he almost leaps out of bed and says, "Let's go!" but I am not in a hurry because I'm still not convinced I'm really in labor. There's still no real pain coming with the contractions, so I guess that's why I just had no sense of urgency...I hadn't gotten to the active labor part yet...perhaps. I finally call my mom at 1:30am at my aunt's house and tell her we're probably going to head to the hospital soon to check if I am in labor and my mom says she'll meet us there...then she says she'll just come straight to our house and go with us to the hospital because I told her we were getting our bag ready to go and that it might be a bit before we actually get out of the house. By 2am, Jeff and I are packed up and ready to go, but my mom hadn't arrived yet...and Jeff's now getting antsy, but I'm still pretty relaxed although my contractions are still coming every five minutes or so. My mom finally arrives, we pick up Tay from her bed (who is still sleeping), we head to the hospital and arrive there at 2:30am. On the drive over, Tay wakes up and she's wired...poor thing.
We first walk into the Emergency Room (ER) because I'm not sure if there's anyone in Labor and Delivery (LD), but the staff in the ER direct me to LD. We walk over to LD and there seems to be only a cleaning staff there and one of the ladies tells me to go on in (no children allowed). We leave a wide-awake Tay with my mom and Jeff and I go in to find out what's going on with me. When I tell them my contractions are coming about five minutes apart and not painful yet, they have me fill out a card and direct me to a tiny labor room. They have me change and such to prep me and check me and tell Jeff to wait outside. Disappointingly, no one is really friendly or smiling, which is bothersome since this should be a happy time...but since it was the middle of the night shift, I assumed they were just all really tired. There were a few other women I could hear laboring, which was also a bit disturbing.
Jeff came back in after I had changed into the hospital gown, so we waited some more for them to come and do a non-stress test and check my contractions. Jeff went out again to check on how Tay and my mom were doing and he brought in all the bags so that my mom didn't have to watch Tay and keep an eye on our bags.
With the monitor on, the contractions were showing that they were still coming every four to five minutes. They checked my dilation and effacement and I was only about 30% effaced and 3cm dilated. After about 30 minutes of the NST, they removed the contraction monitor and kept the heart rate monitor on for the baby. By now it was past 4am and I was getting antsy and uncomfortable from just lying there. I was also getting upset because I had wanted to tell Tay that everything would be okay and that I love her before I was stuck to a hospital bed. I also thought she'd be able to be in the labor room with me for a bit before they had to leave, but they wouldn't let me go back out to see her because I was already dilated. I guess that's the difference between a Korean and American hospital system...I was restricted to the bed entirely even though I still wasn't in any pain from my contractions. Quite frustrating. Anyhow, it was 7am now and Beth was on her way to the hospital to pick up Tay and I really missed her so I asked the nurse again if I could go see her and at least tell her good bye before she went with Beth for the day. They finally said okay, but after their shift change! Ugh...I was frustrated, but I said I'd wait and waited and waited and waited...until finally I called someone in it was someone new, so I knew shift change had happened (by now it was about 7:30 and Beth was already there, but I asked her to wait so I could see Tay before they left). When I mentioned to the nurse that the previous shift nurse had told me I could go see her after shift change, the nurse said she had to check me first and that it was not recommended that I walk anywhere. NOOOOOOOOO!!!! I told her I HAD to go see my daughter and that I would be very very upset if I didn't get to, so when they checked me, I was still at 3cm dilated and just a bit more effaced. So they finally said I could go see her so I got up and walked out (all of 20 yards or so) to see her in the waiting area and got to hug and kiss my sweet big girl...knowing that the next time I saw her, our relationship would change drastically...even though I would still love her all the same...::sigh:: It made me so sad to see her go...seeing her so grown up.
After the brief meeting and farewell, Jeff took Tay and Beth home (where Tay finally fell asleep since she woke up at 2am) and Jeff went into work...for a bit. It was about 7:45 by now.
When I came back in, they checked my dilation once more and told me I was at 4cm now and almost 100% effaced. A good sign! They moved me into a "labor and delivery" room where they informed me I would be delivering there. They also told me my labor was stalling (I was back to having contractions about every five minutes again), so they would be starting me on Pictocin to get things moving again. I let Jeff know that they were going to start me on the drip so things may start moving quickly, so he started making his way back to the hospital. Shortly after they started the drip, the contractions started coming back more frequently (no clock in front of my bed now, so I don't know how frequently) and I started to feel a little bit of pain along with each contraction. I actually had to concentrate and breathe rhythmically to get through them. Nothing worth yelling about, though. Less than four or five of those times of contractions later, another nurse came and checked my progress and I was already 6cm dilated from the previous four! Sweeeeeet. Only concern was that since I had progressed that quickly, they were saying I'd probably be ready to push soon, but Jeff wasn't back yet! Anyhow, the contractions continued to come on stronger, although I couldn't tell if they were coming on more frequently or anything. A few more contractions later, they checked me again and I was at 8cm! The room started to buzz with a few more nurses and they called the doctor to tell him I was almost ready so he should make his way down. The nurse also broke my water (I think) when she last checked me to keep things moving (or else my water broke naturally while she was checking me, but whatever) and after that happened, the contractions were significantly stronger and definitely painful...but still not nearly as painful as I could recall from my first labor. They told me to roll over on my side to help things move along (and reduce my back labor!) so when I did that, MAN, the contractions were much more painful, but still manageable with controlled breathing...and shortly after that, I felt Jeff's hand on my shoulder to tell me he was here. I guess that was Riley's cue, too, because I had that sudden sensation that I really really needed to push really soon! I started to say, "I need to push, I need to push!" but apparently no one understood me except Jeff and my mom...and of course, my mom runs to one of the nurses and tells her that I was ready to push...in ENGLISH. :) Hehehe...not so funny at the time, but funny now that I think about it. Anyhow, eventually they got the message that I was ready to push and they told me not to push too hard because they didn't want me to tear. One of the nurses coached me through the breathing so I wouldn't push too hard and soon everyone was ready to receive the baby and I was ready to push her out of me. I'll spare any further details, but after only about five or six times pushing, Shinah Riley Ryals entered the world at 9:08am. A healthy 3.47 kgs (7 lbs, 10 oz.) little girl born at 38 weeks + 5 days and a whopping 19.5 inches...a whole inch shorter than Tay was when she was born and almost a whole pound lighter than Tay.
As they're discussing various things about the baby and such, one of the nurses asked if I had registered for cord banking and someone responded "No" and oddly enough, I was lucid enough to speak up and say, "YES I DID!" and they came over to me and asked me if I had any paperwork, and luckily...I had all of it, including the receipt of when I paid for it all together in my hospital bag that I had packed! HA! If this had happened with Tay, I definitely would not have been lucid enough to catch the conversation, much less remember that I had all the paperwork in my bag. They brought the bag over to me and I fished out the paperwork and they banked the cord blood right away. We didn't bank Tay's cord blood, but we did decide to do it this time...just on the off chance that we may need it someday. Hopefully not.
Unlike when I had Tay, they wrapped the little bundle up and handed her to me to hold while the nurses were massaging my abdomen so that Riley could get familiar with my scent before they took her to the nursery to be examined, cleaned, etc...I'm not sure where Jeff and my mom went (perhaps with Riley) but the nurses covered me in a super-warm blanket after the doctor left and I was left in the dimmed room to rest and recover for a bit before they moved me to the recovery room in a whole different wing. I also had to remind the nurses again that we wanted to room in with Riley instead of leaving her in the nursery so they would bring her up to the recovery room as soon as she was ready.
All in all, this hospital experience was much worse than my first time around with Tay, but the labor and delivery was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much easier...and I felt lucid the entire time. I never felt out of control and I can clearly remember the entire event with no negative feelings about it. I have no negative feelings about my labor with Tay, but I also can't remember exactly what happened toward the end when I actually started having the stronger contractions. I guess maybe because my body had experienced it before, it was more ready to take it on and my tolerance for pain had grown significantly. I didn't even need to let out a yelp. Jeff likes to remind me that I yelled at him quite a bit in Korean during my first labor. I don't recall any of that.
Anyhow, that is my second labor story, and it was surprisingly pleasant for me. The recovery story will come at a later time. :)
Welcome to our family, Shinah Riley. :) We're so glad to have you!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Sports Physical...for Toddlers...
For the upcoming fall "term," I've decided to disenroll Tay from the ballet class she has been taking now for 9 months (mainly due to a teacher change) and give her a chance at trying out a "Tiny Tumblers" class which is a gymnastics class for tots on base. I had wanted to enroll her for a while, but I was always told that there was a wait list of over 50 people, so I didn't think there would ever be a chance for her to get into the class. Anyhow, the teacher opened up a second (and a third, I think) class, so we finally got her into it. Enrolling took me about four hours of waiting, but I'm hoping the wait was worth it. We went to the first class and she seemed to enjoy it quite a bit, but it was a little chaotic because her little buddy was also in the same class and she just wanted to goof off after she got a little comfortable in the class. Anyhow, I think she'll develop some stronger gross motor skills through this class, so I look forward to her participation in the class in the upcoming weeks.
Anyhow, for the enrollment process, I was told Tay had to get a "sports physical" within the first 30 days of her enrollment. I thought..."sports physical" for a toddler? What could that possibly entail? Well, pretty much it's just a general check up (like a 2-year check up for a toddler) where they make sure she's a "healthy" child with no underlying conditions that might prevent her from participating fully in whatever activity she was enrolled in...
So, I scheduled an appointment for her at the Army hospital...perhaps against my better judgment. More about that later. Anyway, I was told there might be an extravagant charge since I'm not military, so I had to check into that before getting her physical. We wandered all over that hospital being redirected a few times, but finally did get a satisfactory answer that there would be no charge because it was specifically for her to participate in a Child, Youth Services (CYS) program. Sweet.
On to the appointment. We checked in at pediatrics and after a short wait, we were called in to get her "vitals" and general information. Tay was a little shy at first and didn't want to get weighed and measured, but after a brief explanation of what the machine does (and reminding her that she has done this before) helped her bravely stand on the machine herself and stand up straight. She measured at a tall 2 feet and 11 inches and weighed in at 32.6 pounds. My big girl! :) They also used a neat little gadget to measure her "oxygen saturation level" by sticking a little bandaid-like sticker on her thumb...didn't know they could do that. We answered some general questions and then we went back out to the waiting area to wait for the doctor consult.
After waiting a bit, we were called in to meet with the Doc. She was fantastic and Tay was suprisingly comfortable with her, so she sat up really straight on the little examination bed edge while I sat next to her in the chair. The doc checked her eyes, mouth and teeth, ears, etc., and she did exactly as the doc asked her to...then the doc took her shirt off to check her breathing and heart. Tay sat super-still while the doc listened to her chest and back, all the while glancing over at me to see if I was watching and then grinning a bit and then getting the serious face again as the doc continued to listen. When she was asked to take a few deep breaths, she took really deep breaths, all the while moving her little shoulders up and down to emphasize the depth of her breath...:) Very adorable.
Tay had gotten a bump on her head the night before, so the doc asked her during the check up what happened. Tay's response: "Yester-time, I FELL down and BUMPED my head on the floor. Mommy got green boo-boo cream and she put some boo-boo cream on my boo-boo. Then it felt MUCH better. I all better now." All of this with hand gestures and VERY expressive and explanatory facial expressions...:) The doc said that it was the best description of how a boo-boo happened she has ever heard...and that she gets less detailed descriptions from teenagers. Hilarious. The doc said her speech development is very mature and advanced for her age as is her height and weight, so she seems more like a three or four year old rather than a two and a half year old...not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, so I'm just going to take it as a good thing. One thing that she did mention that scared me a bit was that Tay has a "functional heart murmur." Whenever you hear the term "heart murmur," it's a little scary, but the doctor said that it's actually pretty common in young children because their chest cavity is very shallow so sometimes you can hear the blood rushing in and out of the heart. Nothing irregular or unhealthy about it. As they grow older, it will probably go away as her chest cavity gets thicker, but she also said that if she gets sick, the sound may get a little louder or more noticeable. She assured me that it was nothing to worry about and definitely not a health concern...but still...I'm a little worried. Eh. I googled it, too, when I got back, and it told me the same thing...I should just relax.
Anyhow, the doc said that since Korean hospitals normally don't check for lead content or anemia for toddlers, she would put in an order to the lab so Tay could get checked. I asked her what that entailed and she assured me that it would be just a finger prick. As usual, I explained to Tay what we were going to do after we left the doctor's office (I generally do, especially if she's going to get a shot or something...it helps her prepare herself and she's a little less upset about the whole ordeal).
Here is the "MORE" part that I referenced earlier...about why I question my judgment when I go to an Army hospital.
When I got to the lab, it appeared that there were many people waiting to be helped. We went up to the desk to sign in (or check in or something) and the young Soldier (clearly having a bad day) at the computer was leaned back in his chair. I handed him my ID card (I had done this many times before when I was active duty and had blood drawn, etc., for my first pregnancy) and told him I was here for my toddler's finger prick to check anemia and lead. He slowly sat up, took my ID, let out a big sigh, and started typing on his computer. Not a word to me yet. Meanwhile, Tay, Beth and I are just standing there...he hands me back my ID, sighs again, and continues typing. We're all still just standing there...I'm thinking, should we sit down now or just stand here? Anyhow, after he gets done typing or so, he sighs again, gets up, picks up something from the printer and walks away from the desk and toward the next room where they do the blood draws...still hasn't said a word to us yet...we're still standing there. He's almost in the next room and then he looks back at us still standing there and says, "You need to come over here." Well, now I'm getting a little irritated...
We follow him into the side room and he says, "Sit down" and points to a chair. I'm about to say something about professionalism and customer service, but I bite my tongue and just give him the benefit of the doubt that he's probably just having a bad day (it's only 1030). I sit down and place Tay on my lap and he starts to pull out some supplies...and I notice a regular blood draw needle and a regular vial. I remind him that it's not me getting blood drawn...that it is my toddler who is here for a finger prick. He tells me, "No, the order is for blood draw." I tell him, "The pediatrition told us 'finger prick'" for both anemia check and lead check." I ask him to recheck the order. He pulls out the labels he printed out and looks at it again. Then he SIGHS and ROLLS HIS EYES and walks out of the room. Now I'm really irritated. A short while later, the Soldier comes back in followed by another young Soldier, a Specialist. Right in front of me, the Soldier hands the labels to the Specialist and says, "She wants a finger prick for this." The Specialist looks at the two labels and says, "Yes, this label is for a finger prick, and this label can be done by blood draw or a finger prick, but it's at the discretion of the patient." AT THE DISCRETION OF THE PATIENT. Obviously, I want a finger prick for my toddler...not a BLOOD DRAW...especially if I have the OPTION. Then, the Soldier proceeds to sigh AGAIN and then say right in front of me, "I can still do this as a blood draw, though." WHAT? NO. You cannot do this as a blood draw anyway because I am the patient's guardian and you are NOT drawing blood from my toddler when you have the option of doing it via finger prick. The Specialist is now getting uncomfortable and tells the Soldier again that it is AT THE DISCRETION OF THE PATIENT and that although it might be a little harder for him to do the test via finger prick, he should still do it via finger prick. Then again, the Soldier ROLLS HIS EYES AND LETS OUT ANOTHER SIGH and says again, "But I can do the blood draw instead, right?" WHAT THE...
NOW I'M REALLY ANGRY.
I interrupt the conversation and ask the Specialist if I have to get this done TODAY. He politely tells me, "No, Ma'am, you have 60 days from when the order is placed by the doctor to get it done." I stand up holding Tay and say, "We're NOT doing this today" and we walk out of there...me, FUMING. That Soldier better be glad I didn't get his name (I was only seeing RED by this point) or slugged him right then because a pregnant woman who's trying to protect her child is NOT someone you want ANGRY.
Only because Tay was right there with me did I even maintain my calmness and sanity because had she not been there and had gotten that sort of attitude from a Soldier, I think I might have yelled him and asked to talk to the first field grade officer in his chain of command. These are the times I wish I was still in uniform so I could snap that young Soldier to attention and explain to him what proper professionalism is and how he needs to treat all of his customers, ESPECIALLY patients who may be nervous about getting a needle stuck in their arm or finger or wherever. ARG!
So...now the question is, do I actually go back to that lab to get her finger prick done or do I just go off post and ask for lead and anemia testing at her normal pediatrician? I haven't made that decision yet.
As we walked out, I think Tay could sense my frustration and she asked, "Umma, what happened? Where we going? What happened?" I just told her that we're going home and that she did a GREAT JOB at the doctor. Her response, "Thank you, Umma." Smile.
My big girl...so grown up. :)
Anyhow, for the enrollment process, I was told Tay had to get a "sports physical" within the first 30 days of her enrollment. I thought..."sports physical" for a toddler? What could that possibly entail? Well, pretty much it's just a general check up (like a 2-year check up for a toddler) where they make sure she's a "healthy" child with no underlying conditions that might prevent her from participating fully in whatever activity she was enrolled in...
So, I scheduled an appointment for her at the Army hospital...perhaps against my better judgment. More about that later. Anyway, I was told there might be an extravagant charge since I'm not military, so I had to check into that before getting her physical. We wandered all over that hospital being redirected a few times, but finally did get a satisfactory answer that there would be no charge because it was specifically for her to participate in a Child, Youth Services (CYS) program. Sweet.
On to the appointment. We checked in at pediatrics and after a short wait, we were called in to get her "vitals" and general information. Tay was a little shy at first and didn't want to get weighed and measured, but after a brief explanation of what the machine does (and reminding her that she has done this before) helped her bravely stand on the machine herself and stand up straight. She measured at a tall 2 feet and 11 inches and weighed in at 32.6 pounds. My big girl! :) They also used a neat little gadget to measure her "oxygen saturation level" by sticking a little bandaid-like sticker on her thumb...didn't know they could do that. We answered some general questions and then we went back out to the waiting area to wait for the doctor consult.
After waiting a bit, we were called in to meet with the Doc. She was fantastic and Tay was suprisingly comfortable with her, so she sat up really straight on the little examination bed edge while I sat next to her in the chair. The doc checked her eyes, mouth and teeth, ears, etc., and she did exactly as the doc asked her to...then the doc took her shirt off to check her breathing and heart. Tay sat super-still while the doc listened to her chest and back, all the while glancing over at me to see if I was watching and then grinning a bit and then getting the serious face again as the doc continued to listen. When she was asked to take a few deep breaths, she took really deep breaths, all the while moving her little shoulders up and down to emphasize the depth of her breath...:) Very adorable.
Tay had gotten a bump on her head the night before, so the doc asked her during the check up what happened. Tay's response: "Yester-time, I FELL down and BUMPED my head on the floor. Mommy got green boo-boo cream and she put some boo-boo cream on my boo-boo. Then it felt MUCH better. I all better now." All of this with hand gestures and VERY expressive and explanatory facial expressions...:) The doc said that it was the best description of how a boo-boo happened she has ever heard...and that she gets less detailed descriptions from teenagers. Hilarious. The doc said her speech development is very mature and advanced for her age as is her height and weight, so she seems more like a three or four year old rather than a two and a half year old...not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, so I'm just going to take it as a good thing. One thing that she did mention that scared me a bit was that Tay has a "functional heart murmur." Whenever you hear the term "heart murmur," it's a little scary, but the doctor said that it's actually pretty common in young children because their chest cavity is very shallow so sometimes you can hear the blood rushing in and out of the heart. Nothing irregular or unhealthy about it. As they grow older, it will probably go away as her chest cavity gets thicker, but she also said that if she gets sick, the sound may get a little louder or more noticeable. She assured me that it was nothing to worry about and definitely not a health concern...but still...I'm a little worried. Eh. I googled it, too, when I got back, and it told me the same thing...I should just relax.
Anyhow, the doc said that since Korean hospitals normally don't check for lead content or anemia for toddlers, she would put in an order to the lab so Tay could get checked. I asked her what that entailed and she assured me that it would be just a finger prick. As usual, I explained to Tay what we were going to do after we left the doctor's office (I generally do, especially if she's going to get a shot or something...it helps her prepare herself and she's a little less upset about the whole ordeal).
Here is the "MORE" part that I referenced earlier...about why I question my judgment when I go to an Army hospital.
When I got to the lab, it appeared that there were many people waiting to be helped. We went up to the desk to sign in (or check in or something) and the young Soldier (clearly having a bad day) at the computer was leaned back in his chair. I handed him my ID card (I had done this many times before when I was active duty and had blood drawn, etc., for my first pregnancy) and told him I was here for my toddler's finger prick to check anemia and lead. He slowly sat up, took my ID, let out a big sigh, and started typing on his computer. Not a word to me yet. Meanwhile, Tay, Beth and I are just standing there...he hands me back my ID, sighs again, and continues typing. We're all still just standing there...I'm thinking, should we sit down now or just stand here? Anyhow, after he gets done typing or so, he sighs again, gets up, picks up something from the printer and walks away from the desk and toward the next room where they do the blood draws...still hasn't said a word to us yet...we're still standing there. He's almost in the next room and then he looks back at us still standing there and says, "You need to come over here." Well, now I'm getting a little irritated...
We follow him into the side room and he says, "Sit down" and points to a chair. I'm about to say something about professionalism and customer service, but I bite my tongue and just give him the benefit of the doubt that he's probably just having a bad day (it's only 1030). I sit down and place Tay on my lap and he starts to pull out some supplies...and I notice a regular blood draw needle and a regular vial. I remind him that it's not me getting blood drawn...that it is my toddler who is here for a finger prick. He tells me, "No, the order is for blood draw." I tell him, "The pediatrition told us 'finger prick'" for both anemia check and lead check." I ask him to recheck the order. He pulls out the labels he printed out and looks at it again. Then he SIGHS and ROLLS HIS EYES and walks out of the room. Now I'm really irritated. A short while later, the Soldier comes back in followed by another young Soldier, a Specialist. Right in front of me, the Soldier hands the labels to the Specialist and says, "She wants a finger prick for this." The Specialist looks at the two labels and says, "Yes, this label is for a finger prick, and this label can be done by blood draw or a finger prick, but it's at the discretion of the patient." AT THE DISCRETION OF THE PATIENT. Obviously, I want a finger prick for my toddler...not a BLOOD DRAW...especially if I have the OPTION. Then, the Soldier proceeds to sigh AGAIN and then say right in front of me, "I can still do this as a blood draw, though." WHAT? NO. You cannot do this as a blood draw anyway because I am the patient's guardian and you are NOT drawing blood from my toddler when you have the option of doing it via finger prick. The Specialist is now getting uncomfortable and tells the Soldier again that it is AT THE DISCRETION OF THE PATIENT and that although it might be a little harder for him to do the test via finger prick, he should still do it via finger prick. Then again, the Soldier ROLLS HIS EYES AND LETS OUT ANOTHER SIGH and says again, "But I can do the blood draw instead, right?" WHAT THE...
NOW I'M REALLY ANGRY.
I interrupt the conversation and ask the Specialist if I have to get this done TODAY. He politely tells me, "No, Ma'am, you have 60 days from when the order is placed by the doctor to get it done." I stand up holding Tay and say, "We're NOT doing this today" and we walk out of there...me, FUMING. That Soldier better be glad I didn't get his name (I was only seeing RED by this point) or slugged him right then because a pregnant woman who's trying to protect her child is NOT someone you want ANGRY.
Only because Tay was right there with me did I even maintain my calmness and sanity because had she not been there and had gotten that sort of attitude from a Soldier, I think I might have yelled him and asked to talk to the first field grade officer in his chain of command. These are the times I wish I was still in uniform so I could snap that young Soldier to attention and explain to him what proper professionalism is and how he needs to treat all of his customers, ESPECIALLY patients who may be nervous about getting a needle stuck in their arm or finger or wherever. ARG!
So...now the question is, do I actually go back to that lab to get her finger prick done or do I just go off post and ask for lead and anemia testing at her normal pediatrician? I haven't made that decision yet.
As we walked out, I think Tay could sense my frustration and she asked, "Umma, what happened? Where we going? What happened?" I just told her that we're going home and that she did a GREAT JOB at the doctor. Her response, "Thank you, Umma." Smile.
My big girl...so grown up. :)
Monday, September 13, 2010
Week 38/39 Doc Visit
Well, this morning's visit to the doctor's office was none too exciting, but it was lengthy. I had the usual ultrasound to check the size of the baby, then had my consult, then a chest x-ray and EKG. Riley's growing like a weed in there because she's already measuring 3.5 kgs (7.7 lbs!!!), but the doc assured me that babies usually weigh a little less than the measurement on the ultrasound. That still means she's going to be over seven pounds, which is fine, but I still have two weeks to go according to the calendar! How much more is she going to grow?
At least the no-later-than date is now set - the induction is scheduled for the 29th of September if she doesn't come out on her own before then...so that she doesn't get too big and get stuck. I guess I need to start powerwalking everywhere to make sure she comes out before then...I'd rather try and avoid the induction this time around, but there is something nice about knowing when her ultimate due date is...I guess.
Other than that, Riley's growing strong and running out of room in there. I'll get the results from my x-ray and EKG next week at my next appointment. I know most hospitals do the cervix check and such around this time to see if I'm effaced or dilated at all, but they haven't done that and doesn't look like they'll be doing that in the next week or two, so I guess it'll just be when she comes she'll come. I do have another NST (non-stress test) scheduled for next week's appointment; I had one of those two weeks ago as well and she's definitely doing just fine. She was asleep for the first ten minutes of the test, so they came and buzzed her so she'd move around, and she definitely didn't like that so she got active and kicked around quite a bit for the next twenty minutes. We'll see how she does next week.
Insomnia has really been kicking my behind the past week and it doesn't seem to be getting much better. The frequent bathroom trips don't help, but it's not the primary cause...I just have very very busy dreams where I'm just busy doing every day stuff from work to taking care of household chores to caring for Tay, so when I finally wake up, it feels like I haven't slept at all! The constant exhaustion is really making me cranky throughout the day, which I'm sure is wearing on Jeff and Tay...so how do I break this cycle? I feel like I got no rest this weekend, and it was supposed to be relaxing! Ah well...even taking naps during the day just don't seem to help much anymore. Perhaps this is the way my body is trying to prepare me for having a newborn in the house again...getting my body used to the lack of good "rest?" At least then I'll have a cuddly newborn to love on with a sweetheart of a big sister to help me out...and no work to think about...at least for six weeks? Maybe I should just start my maternity leave next week...::sigh::
Mom gets here on the 19th and Chuseok is on the 22nd...I'm hoping the little one comes on the 23rd. Others are betting earlier. I'm still hoping the 23rd. Riley, come on the 23rd, yes? Please? :)
Hoping for a good next week...and a safe and happy delivery after my mom gets here!
At least the no-later-than date is now set - the induction is scheduled for the 29th of September if she doesn't come out on her own before then...so that she doesn't get too big and get stuck. I guess I need to start powerwalking everywhere to make sure she comes out before then...I'd rather try and avoid the induction this time around, but there is something nice about knowing when her ultimate due date is...I guess.
Other than that, Riley's growing strong and running out of room in there. I'll get the results from my x-ray and EKG next week at my next appointment. I know most hospitals do the cervix check and such around this time to see if I'm effaced or dilated at all, but they haven't done that and doesn't look like they'll be doing that in the next week or two, so I guess it'll just be when she comes she'll come. I do have another NST (non-stress test) scheduled for next week's appointment; I had one of those two weeks ago as well and she's definitely doing just fine. She was asleep for the first ten minutes of the test, so they came and buzzed her so she'd move around, and she definitely didn't like that so she got active and kicked around quite a bit for the next twenty minutes. We'll see how she does next week.
Insomnia has really been kicking my behind the past week and it doesn't seem to be getting much better. The frequent bathroom trips don't help, but it's not the primary cause...I just have very very busy dreams where I'm just busy doing every day stuff from work to taking care of household chores to caring for Tay, so when I finally wake up, it feels like I haven't slept at all! The constant exhaustion is really making me cranky throughout the day, which I'm sure is wearing on Jeff and Tay...so how do I break this cycle? I feel like I got no rest this weekend, and it was supposed to be relaxing! Ah well...even taking naps during the day just don't seem to help much anymore. Perhaps this is the way my body is trying to prepare me for having a newborn in the house again...getting my body used to the lack of good "rest?" At least then I'll have a cuddly newborn to love on with a sweetheart of a big sister to help me out...and no work to think about...at least for six weeks? Maybe I should just start my maternity leave next week...::sigh::
Mom gets here on the 19th and Chuseok is on the 22nd...I'm hoping the little one comes on the 23rd. Others are betting earlier. I'm still hoping the 23rd. Riley, come on the 23rd, yes? Please? :)
Hoping for a good next week...and a safe and happy delivery after my mom gets here!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
My little big girl...
I look at my Tay every day and every night and think, my goodness she has grown so much...but she is still so little. She still can't even reach the light switches in our house. But she's over twice as big as she was when she was first born. She's an incredibly good communicator in amazingly complete sentences, although sometimes it takes her a couple tries to get it right, and her little mind is like a lock box that once a piece of information has been stored, it is locked in tight so she can think back and retrieve it and apply that piece of knowledge or information at the right moment. It's amazing to me.
I know that she's going to be a great big sister, and I also know that she's going to take some time to adjust to having another member of the family joining us on a permanent basis. It will be hard for her to see me holding the little baby when she so wants to be held and it will be hard for her to know that I won't be able to lift her up (like I still do today) right after the baby comes. I do my best to try and not lift her, but sometimes, she just needs me to so I can I say no? How much cuddle time will I lose with my little big girl? We cuddle and giggle a lot, you know...it's so special...at least for me. Sometimes she even stops me and says, "Umma, that's enough." But then, of course, she giggles and cuddles me right back. :)
I guess we just have to practice cuddling a lot with baby sister included so we don't squish her.
I know that she's going to be a great big sister, and I also know that she's going to take some time to adjust to having another member of the family joining us on a permanent basis. It will be hard for her to see me holding the little baby when she so wants to be held and it will be hard for her to know that I won't be able to lift her up (like I still do today) right after the baby comes. I do my best to try and not lift her, but sometimes, she just needs me to so I can I say no? How much cuddle time will I lose with my little big girl? We cuddle and giggle a lot, you know...it's so special...at least for me. Sometimes she even stops me and says, "Umma, that's enough." But then, of course, she giggles and cuddles me right back. :)
I guess we just have to practice cuddling a lot with baby sister included so we don't squish her.
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