I'm BACK!!!

Hi all... Molly and I have come back home. I've got a load of pictures to share, and will upload them some time tomorrow. I just wanted to thank everyone for their support during this adventure. I'm recovering well, but am tired (nothing new for a new mom). More soon...

Mollys Going home

The doctors, after worrying about a touch of jaundice, decided it was OK to take Molly home.

Next day

Baby sleeping, eating, pooping... baby stuff

Nursing is starting to go well. Hospital check-out 11:00am 31 May 07

Candid shot from outside nursury

Baby picture

The Day After...

Wendy is resting in the hospital and the medical focus is on her now. Last night they got her up walking around to help with the healing. She has had major surgery and is tired so she wont be available to talk calls for a while. Don't worry we will keep you updated.

Ann, Wendy's mother, stayed with Wendy and the baby last night so I could get some sleep.

If you want to send Wendy anything over the next 2 days, she is in

Room 283 C wing

Banner Thunderbird Medical Center

5555 W Thunderbird Rd Glendale, Arizona 85306 (602) 865-5555

Molly

Molly Ann Adams

Born 28 May 2007 4:15pm
Weight: 7lbs 14oz
Length: 21.75 inches

Will have blue eyes and blond hair

Likes people humming show tunes, anything from Phantom

Looks like a c-section

Wendy has been in labor for over 40 hours (including at home time) and NOTHING is happening. The doctors are worried about infection because her water has been broke for over 15 hours and the Pitosin is not doing anything!

One of our machines

Here is graph of some contactions. The peaks are at 2:30 mins

Current Status

We have been at the hospital for 13 hours. Wendy's water broke around midnight on Sunday and she was immediately admitted. Becuase she was so early in labor, gel was added to her cervix to help it thin more rapidly. Later she was given Stadol for the pain and then an epidural. Pitocin is being used to move the contractions along.

So far the contractions have been very irregular and she is not moving forward. There is a small chance if things don't start happening they will consider a C-section.

We will keep you posted

11hrs @ hospital

4hr post epidural, no progress. Now on oxygen and more pitosin

Break in the pain

Sleeping after epidural, 4cm dilation

A change of plans

Water broke! They are keeping us

Not quite yet...

Sending us home. Get some sleep!

First trip to hospital

Wendy is have contractions at 3 minute intervals tonight at 10:19 on Sunday night. She has been having these contractions for over 24 hours.

We are tired and we would like some expert opinion as to whether or not Wendy is in active labor.

We will let people know if they are going to keep her.

Sunday afternoon update

No real changes. Contractions are every 10-15 minutes right now and are pretty intense. However, they really aren't that much worse than those I had all night, etc.

An acquaintance who just had her baby last Tuesday said she spent the entire weekend last weekend like this. While that may sound horrible (I can have more than two more days of this?), it is also reassuring.

Progress or no???

In the normal progression of labor, one is supposed to have contractions get progressively stronger (they are!) and closer together.

Here's the thing... they've been about every 20 minutes now for the past two hours. On the up side, I've been able to get some decent sleep (yippee!!!). On the down side, I'm not sure that this is really progress.

Still at it - early Sunday morning

Well, now it's daylight. I snuck out of the bedroom to give Adam a few minutes more sleep. It's been going on all night... for a couple hours I was having contractions every 12 min or so (but WAY stronger ones) and sleeping in between. Mostly they've been 7-10 minutes apart. Each time, I need to sit up or squat, as laying down is unnecessarily uncomfortable. So it's been a lot of up and down all night. Still, I'm happy to have gotten my snippets of sleep. I'll probably get back to that in a bit, but I wanted to let one or two contractions pass while out of the room to allow my husband to sleep.

You might wonder why I would let him sleep at a time like this (when I can't). Well, at the rate we're going it's going to be a while, and I'm going to need him strong and focused when it gets more intense. Right now, it is just 90 seconds every 10 minutes that I have any pain. When it gets to 90 seconds every 4 minutes or less... I'll need him way more.

more!

Here's my update... This evening, we went out to dinner and they started up again: every 10 minutes. They were more like I expected them to be, feeling a bit like menstrual cramps. They've continued since then, but they've intensified A LOT. Now they are still about every 10 minutes (hey, aren't they supposed to get closer???), but I can really not concentrate on anything but the contraction when it is happening.

It is amazing the difference in how I feel between vs during a contraction. No doubt to me this time, it's the real thing. They seem to be about a minute long. However, I'm not supposed to go in until they are 5 min apart (or less) for at least an hour. At this point, they are still 7-10 min... I keep expecting them to get closer, but no... it could be hours and hours like this.

Unfortunately, I can't sleep. Laying down through the contractions is awful (I did get a couple hours of interrupted sleep a bit earlier). But I'm tired, which I know isn't good this early in the game. I wish I'd been able to sleep last night.

Anyway, I think I'm having Molly later today! Exciting!!!

Saturday evening update

THEY'RE BACK! And more intense than they were this morning. Every 10 minutes still... for the past hour and a half or so.

Third posting for Saturday...

Well, it's Saturday afternoon. Nothing has really changed. I haven't been tracking the contractions, but they don't seem to be coming often, so I figure that things aren't really happening yet. They certainly aren't getting closer or more intense, which they are supposed to.

Further Saturday morning update

I hadn't figured it out when I wrote earlier this morning.

This morning around 5:30 I got out of bed, thinking I had to go to the bathroom, feeling a little uncomfortable. But I didn't have to go... At 5:55, I felt like I did again, but it passed quickly. At 6:07 it came again and went away. Again at 6:18, 6:27, 6:37, 6:47... hmmm, I'm seeing a pattern here! (Oh yeah, and by now I've realized that my belly is rock hard each time). At 7:35, after two hours of this, I decided that I was heading back to bed. Sort of slept since then, so I'm not sure they are still happening. But still... this is exciting. SOMETHING is happening!!!

It could easily all go away at this point. But here we are: 9:21... happening again.

We'll keep you up to date here on the blog!

Fashionably Late?

My date for yesterday stood me up. Apparently Molly didn't get the memo... we kept explaining to her that it was time, but she was having nothing to do with it. I must have made a cozy home for her the last 40 weeks (well, 38 weeks gestationally).

So what am I doing up at 5:45am? It's not that uncommon for me to be awake for part of the night. I've been mostly awake for the last 2 hours, and after another run to the bathroom 10 minutes ago, I gave in to the reality that I'm just not sleeping right now.

40 weeks and 1 day pregnant... and waiting.

Due Date is here!!!

Time's up! Today's the day.

Well, that's what they say... of course, only 5% of all babies are born on their due date. We are kind of hoping that she is one of those 5%. I mean, the pregnancy has been so "textbook"...

This morning I woke up with a rock-hard belly... but no pain. Doesn't mean she won't come today, but apparently 40% of all full-term babies are born after their due date. So, I guess it wouldn't be all that unusual for her to be later.

This is my first day of my maternity leave. It feels weird to not be working, yet not have the baby yet. I have a list of minor things to do today... but am really glad that I didn't take off time BEFORE my due date. I'd be bored to tears!

Still waiting for the inducement date from the doctor. They are, apparently, waiting for a date from the hospital. They did say that it will be next week, but no commitment on day yet. I figure it won't be Monday since that's a holiday. Hopefully I'll find out that info today too!

Deadlines!!!

So, my doctor's office just called to give me my scheduled induction date (assuming Molly doesn't arrive sooner). Basically, they don't want to let me go beyond a week after my due date. Now, there's no telling whether I will! I might end up having Molly at any time... I feel heavy and have frequent non-painful contractions... but, if she hasn't arrived, then they will help it all along.

The problem was, they called with the wrong date (June 6th). The admin realized this while we were on the phone and said she'll call me back.

So I STILL don't have a deadline, although I expect to be getting one really soon!

Shooting pains... in my wrist

Last night I was woken up with shooting pains. Unfortunately, they were not emanating from my belly. They were shooting up through my right thumb... my carpal tunnel seems to be getting worse. This should go away just after the birth. I'm hoping it will or I might have trouble holding the baby!

On the Molly front, nothing new to report. I have been having a lot of painless contractions today (these are called Braxton-Hicks contractions, and generally don't progress labor). Basically, my tummy keeps getting tight, but there is no other sensation associated with it, and I can move around and do things just fine.

As always, though, that doesn't mean things might not change quickly. We'll keep you up to date, though!

Update from today's visit to the doctor's office

My doctor was not there today, so we met with the nurse practitioner. This was disappointing because the doctor was supposed to discuss inducement dates with us. However, I was assured I'd hear something from him by Thursday.

She did check me out, though.

• My weight is good, my blood pressure is good, etc.
• Baby's heart beat is good (in the 150s)
• Baby is high (what??? Wasn't she low last week???)
• 90% effaced
• 1-2 cm dilated

So, it looks like I may actually have this kid some day! No telling when, but it was great to hear that there's been progress this past week!

Kitty Concerns...

We have this wonderful cat, who is absolutely enormous (3 feet long when stretched out on the tile) and very lovable. However, he's also pretty aggressive... he bites. We are somewhat concerned about what his reaction to Molly will be.

Last night, I had a dream that I brought a kitten home (instead of a baby?). He didn't seem all that interested in the new kitten... which is absolutely NOT what his reaction would be! However, that is the reaction we want from him with the baby. What do you think our chances are???

Oh yeah... um, I'm still pregnant.

Ankles of insanity...

Last night, Adam and I went to the Phoenix Symphony. It was really a nice outing, but one that took it's toll on my ankles and feet! The seats were just a tad too high, so my feet barely skimmed the ground (and were, essentially, hanging). Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but at 39 weeks and 1 day pregnant, it was. By intermission, my feet and ankles were swollen to elephant-like proportions. Adam sat me down and rubbed my feet. He could feel the fluid squeezing back, and you could see imprints of his fingers for minutes after he released them. Kinda like one of those memory foam pillows... We ended up moving to some chairs in the back of the theatre for the second half of the performance, which was MUCH better.

As of this morning, no big changes. Molly has been very busy for the last 24 hours. Apparently, she loved the Shostakovich!

How to survive month 9

The pool is one of the few reliefs from the weight of the baby and it helps reduce the swelling of feet. Wendy is spending more and more time in the pool as we approach the last couple of weeks.

The start of my 40th week of pregnancy...

Molly's not here yet. Been having more Braxton-Hicks contractions, but nothing really new. Decided to take a picture this morning to show you all how big I am.

It's gonna be another hot day here in Arizona...

Okay, I'm officially tired of being pregnant.

Here's what sleep is like lately...

Lay down on my left side, perhaps a pillow under my tummy and/or between my legs. Sleep for 40 minutes-1 hour. Wake up with sore hips, stiff back, 'full' bladder and my left hand asleep with shooting pains. Push myself up and get out of bed to use the bathroom. Go back to bed, lay on my right side. Repeat (except this time it's the right side that is asleep). Repeat. Continue this cycle for 8 hours or so, with an occasional hour of tossing and turning or delighting in the movement of my daughter. Wake up exhausted, almost unable to walk because of my hips (fortunately that goes away quickly). This morning, both of my wrists continue to hurt. Gee, this is fun.

Nothing new to report

Today I am 38 weeks and 5 days pregnant. That translates to big, heavy, awkward. I just went for a swim, which felt great until the moment my belly came up out of the water. Ugh. When getting dressed just now, I almost fell over. It was very hard to balance on one foot while lifting my other leg to put on my shorts. I'm huge...

That doesn't stop me from having fun, though. Went out with a friend earlier and got a pedicure during my lunch hour. I now have flowers on my toes!

Just wanted to update the blog so you all know that there is nothing new to report today.

Update from today's doctor visit

Molly is low, but still floating. As such, no real changes in the cervix, so it might be a while before she comes. On the other hand, babies have been known to arrive within 24 hours of such an assessment, so who knows?

We have another visit next Tuesday. If she hasn't arrived by then, we'll start talking about 'deadlines'... the doctor doesn't want to let her go beyond a week after my due-date.

So, we're still in waiting mode.

Doc also took a look at my puffy ankles (puffy at 9:15am!!!). He thought they weren't bad at all... told me to spend more time in the pool!

A new feature to keep you up to date FAST!

We were wondering how we would keep people informed once things started to get busy and little out of control during labor. When things start to happen we will make a direct phone call to all interested people but regular updates might be very time consuming.

Solution: Mobile Blogging.

I can upload pictures and text directly to the Molly Blog from my phone!

It takes only about 10 secs from send to blog!

This will keep people up to date in near real time without us having to contact each person.

It's done!!! (no, not Molly)

Adam has been working on this amazing chaise lounge-like couch-chair thing for a couple of years. He's just finished it. What do you think?

Molly's over-educated parents

Today, Molly's daddy graduated with his MBA. Molly was present, but still in-utero. The ceremony was inside the "Wells Fargo Arena" at ASU. We were all pretty happy about that because it was 105-degrees outside.

Very proud of adding a fourth graduate degree to Molly's parental resume.

Congratulations, Daddy!!!

9 months pregnant...

Here we are... parents to be. Taking advantage of the time we have together to do things that will be more difficult after Molly comes. On Monday, shortly after this photo, we headed out to an Italian restaurant, followed by a ride in a Gondola (complete with Italian tenor serenade). We've been out most nights this week.

Still pregnant!

Missing Bones...

Some days I am faced with a slightly stiff feeling in my feet and ankles. I look down and wonder what it is that I see at the end of my legs.

This swelling (edema) is due to poor circulation from the pregnancy, especially when I am sitting at a computer all day, and when it is hot out. The baby is putting pressure on the veins that bring fluid back up from my legs, so it pools at my feet and ankles.

Fortunately, this will entirely disappear in a few weeks or less... yippee!!!