Well, Gigi had a follow up appointment yesterday with her eye doctor, Dr, Chen.
Since I've only recently started blogging, let me back up a minute and fill you in on why she sees an eye doctor.
At her 3 year old well checkup, Gigi's pediatrician gave her a vision screening for the first time. When her left eye was covered she did great and could see all the pictures on the chart. However when her right eye was covered - she kind of freaked out. She kept swatting at the thing that was covering her eye and pushing it to the side. The pediatrician did not want to push her and get her upset so she stopped the screening. She then referred us to an eye doctor (an M.D.) and told me it was probably Gigi just getting annoyed with all the tests (she had also just finished a hearing screening) but she wanted me to have her checked out just in case.
So, in July I took Gigi to her first real eye exam. In the end I was told that she has amblyopia - more commonly known as "lazy eye". The thing that I am grateful for is that the eye doctor said if our pediatrician would have just brushed it off and not been overly cautious, then this probably would not have been caught for years because Gigi's eyes are perfectly straight and look very healthy. Children who have amblyopia usually have crossed eyes or their eyes do not line up correctly - this is not the case with Gigi.
Well, another good thing is, this is only in her left eye and because she is so young, Dr. Chen (eye doctor) thinks we may be able to permanently correct the problem.
Her vision at this first visit was 20/100. Two days later, on July 18 Gigi began wearing glasses. A month later we went back in for a follow-up. Gigi's vision hadn't changed - but we were told in advance that there would be no change that quickly. The next step was to begin patching. This requires Gigi to wear a patch over her good eye for at least 3 hours a day in order to strengthen the "lazy" eye. So, we began patching on August 13.
Yesterday was our first visit back since we started the patching. Wouldn't you know - it's working!! I was so happy when we left the office! Gigi's vision has improved tremendously!
She has changed from 20/100 to now 20/40!! I am so happy!
We have a follow up appointment in 4 months. Gigi needs to continue patching every day and wearing her glasses until then. Dr. Chen fully expects though that at our next appointment, Gigi's vision will be improved to a perfect 20/20 and then she will no longer need the patch OR the glasses!
Gigi is doing a great job with the patch and glasses - she hardly EVERY complains about either. If she keeps up the good work I hope to report in the future that she is glasses free!!
Since I have needed (and still do) glasses/contacts since about he age of 5 or so, I really don't want to see my daughter have to go through life with them. I guess it's really not such a big deal - I do it - but it would be nice if she could just come out of this with 20/20 vision and not have to worry about needing corrective lenses.
Keep your fingers crossed!!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
Weeki Wachee Springs
This Saturday, daddy had off from work - which is very rare! We took advantage of the time and made a family trip out to Weeki Wachee Springs. this is the home of the "Live Mermaids".
Being 3, Gigi is all about mermaids, princesses and all things fairy tales. She has actually never seen Disney's Little Mermaid, but we have read her the story numerous times so she does know who the little mermaid is. Well, just to be sure she would know what to expect, we went to the video store on Friday night to rent Disney's Little Mermaid. Only to our disappointment, they did not have a copy in stock. We settled on "Ariel's Beginning" which is supposed to be the prequel I suppose. It was not nearly as good as the original - but then again that could just be because I was really wanting to watch the original with Gigi and was upset that I couldn't.
Well, Saturday morning we headed out. Gigi woke up pretty excited talking about going to see the mermaids. We got to Weeki Wachee at about 10:45am. The first mermaid show began at 11am, so we were there just in time.
I think Gigi was pretty amazed at the Mermaids swimming in the water. She seemed o really enjoy herself! It was a pretty neat show and it made me happy to see my little girl so excited.
the show was based on Hans Christian Anderson's Little Mermaid - which is the original story and what Disney based their version on as well.
Everything was performed inside a huge water tank with the exception of one part after the little mermaid got legs and she and the prince came out of the tank and danced on a little stage in front of us.
After the show was over, we headed to the "River Boat Cruise". This was a quick a little boat ride on the Weekie Wachee river. The water is all from a natural spring and 99% fresh drinking water. It was crystal clear and beautiful. There were tons of fish swimming around too.
After that we took a little train ride. It was nothing fancy, and very short - but Gigi enjoyed it and we were there for her after all.
When the train ride was over we had the opportunity to take some pictures with one of the mermaids and then took some pics at some of the props that were set up around the grounds of the park.
All in all, I just have to say - although Gigi semed to enjoy being there, in my opinion it was not worth the money it cost to get in. It is a really small place with not much to do - unless you go the water park area, which we didn't. I think they should split the admission cost depending on what you are there to do. But in the end - it's all about making your kids happy, right? We will probably not go again - but at least we can say we went and Gigi can say she saw real mermaids!
Being 3, Gigi is all about mermaids, princesses and all things fairy tales. She has actually never seen Disney's Little Mermaid, but we have read her the story numerous times so she does know who the little mermaid is. Well, just to be sure she would know what to expect, we went to the video store on Friday night to rent Disney's Little Mermaid. Only to our disappointment, they did not have a copy in stock. We settled on "Ariel's Beginning" which is supposed to be the prequel I suppose. It was not nearly as good as the original - but then again that could just be because I was really wanting to watch the original with Gigi and was upset that I couldn't.
Well, Saturday morning we headed out. Gigi woke up pretty excited talking about going to see the mermaids. We got to Weeki Wachee at about 10:45am. The first mermaid show began at 11am, so we were there just in time.
I think Gigi was pretty amazed at the Mermaids swimming in the water. She seemed o really enjoy herself! It was a pretty neat show and it made me happy to see my little girl so excited.
the show was based on Hans Christian Anderson's Little Mermaid - which is the original story and what Disney based their version on as well.
Everything was performed inside a huge water tank with the exception of one part after the little mermaid got legs and she and the prince came out of the tank and danced on a little stage in front of us.
After the show was over, we headed to the "River Boat Cruise". This was a quick a little boat ride on the Weekie Wachee river. The water is all from a natural spring and 99% fresh drinking water. It was crystal clear and beautiful. There were tons of fish swimming around too.
After that we took a little train ride. It was nothing fancy, and very short - but Gigi enjoyed it and we were there for her after all.
When the train ride was over we had the opportunity to take some pictures with one of the mermaids and then took some pics at some of the props that were set up around the grounds of the park.
All in all, I just have to say - although Gigi semed to enjoy being there, in my opinion it was not worth the money it cost to get in. It is a really small place with not much to do - unless you go the water park area, which we didn't. I think they should split the admission cost depending on what you are there to do. But in the end - it's all about making your kids happy, right? We will probably not go again - but at least we can say we went and Gigi can say she saw real mermaids!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Recap of the week; September 15-19
Well, another week has come and gone! I'll be honest, we didn't do much formal schooling this week - I was having a lot of those, "Mommy is really tired today" moments this week. This belly of mine is getting heavier by the minute it seems!
While we didn't do much of any of the planned lesson for the week, we did do quite a bit of "everyday" learning, which is just as good at this age.
For one thing, we baked brownies together! I did sneak in some learning here too. I showed Gigi the back of the brownie mix box and asked her how may eggs we needed. So, she had to show that she recognized the number "3" which she did! She also counted the eggs out herself from the carton and cracked them into the mixing bowl.
She poured in the chocolate mix and Mama measured and put in the oil and water.
Gigi mixed it all up and Mama poured it in the pan and put it into the oven.
Then Gigi had the pleasure of licking the spatula!! She very much enjoyed herself!
She even cleaned up the mess she made on the counter!
When they were all done, Mama took them out, let them cool and then cut them up. Then we enjoyed our snack together. We talked about the smell of the brownies, the way they felt and of course - how they tasted! This finished up our Senses unit. It was lots of fun! She did a really great job!!
On another day this week, Gigi made her own lunch. She made (with a little help from Mama) her own peanut butter and jelly sandwich - one of our favorite lunches.
We spent one afternoon exploring the front yard with magnifying glasses.
Gigi found a little spider on our flag pole which held her interest for all of 3 minutes.
We did finish up our Community Helpers unit this week. We talked about doctors and mail carriers. We read several different books together and Gigi colored some pictures of doctors and mail carriers. Then we did a craft based on each.
We made a "doctor bag" after we talked about Doctors and why they are important to our community. This is what it looks like closed:
Inside the bag, Gigi glued in some items we had around the house that she thought a doctor would use to help someone. The Popsicle stick is supposed to be a tongue depressor. She wanted a stethoscope, but I didn't feel like making one on the spot - though in hindsight I easily could have just to make her happy. Oh well!
Here is the inside of her bag:
Our mail carrier craft was a mail carrier's satchel. We made it out of a cereal box. Gigi decorated it and I helped her spell out the word "mail" to add to it and then I tied the ribbon on so she could wear it.
Then she colored in a picture of an apple and practiced writing her capital and lowercase "A", which she did excellent! I took this sheet and folded it in half. I instructed Gigi to color a "stamp" in the upper right hand corner of the page and then I helped her write "Daddy". She then was able to deliver the mail to Daddy using her new satchel. She was quite proud of herself. It was very cute!
So, in reality of what was planned for this week, we DID complete our senses unit and our community helpers unit. We also reviewed the letter "A"
We did not get to her math lessons from her Abeka book, but we did go over number recognition.
So for next week, my goal is to cover:
Then of course thrown in there this week we have dance class, karate class, an eye doctor appointment for Gigi, a prenatal appointment for me and preparing for Uncle B's visit (which I am thinking about having Gigi make something special for him one day but I haven't figure out what yet) on Saturday and preparing for our baby sprinkle celebration on Sunday. We will be pretty busy this week all around so again, if we don't get to it, there's always next week!
While we didn't do much of any of the planned lesson for the week, we did do quite a bit of "everyday" learning, which is just as good at this age.
For one thing, we baked brownies together! I did sneak in some learning here too. I showed Gigi the back of the brownie mix box and asked her how may eggs we needed. So, she had to show that she recognized the number "3" which she did! She also counted the eggs out herself from the carton and cracked them into the mixing bowl.
She poured in the chocolate mix and Mama measured and put in the oil and water.
Gigi mixed it all up and Mama poured it in the pan and put it into the oven.
Then Gigi had the pleasure of licking the spatula!! She very much enjoyed herself!
She even cleaned up the mess she made on the counter!
When they were all done, Mama took them out, let them cool and then cut them up. Then we enjoyed our snack together. We talked about the smell of the brownies, the way they felt and of course - how they tasted! This finished up our Senses unit. It was lots of fun! She did a really great job!!
On another day this week, Gigi made her own lunch. She made (with a little help from Mama) her own peanut butter and jelly sandwich - one of our favorite lunches.
We spent one afternoon exploring the front yard with magnifying glasses.
Gigi found a little spider on our flag pole which held her interest for all of 3 minutes.
We did finish up our Community Helpers unit this week. We talked about doctors and mail carriers. We read several different books together and Gigi colored some pictures of doctors and mail carriers. Then we did a craft based on each.
We made a "doctor bag" after we talked about Doctors and why they are important to our community. This is what it looks like closed:
Inside the bag, Gigi glued in some items we had around the house that she thought a doctor would use to help someone. The Popsicle stick is supposed to be a tongue depressor. She wanted a stethoscope, but I didn't feel like making one on the spot - though in hindsight I easily could have just to make her happy. Oh well!
Here is the inside of her bag:
Our mail carrier craft was a mail carrier's satchel. We made it out of a cereal box. Gigi decorated it and I helped her spell out the word "mail" to add to it and then I tied the ribbon on so she could wear it.
Then she colored in a picture of an apple and practiced writing her capital and lowercase "A", which she did excellent! I took this sheet and folded it in half. I instructed Gigi to color a "stamp" in the upper right hand corner of the page and then I helped her write "Daddy". She then was able to deliver the mail to Daddy using her new satchel. She was quite proud of herself. It was very cute!
So, in reality of what was planned for this week, we DID complete our senses unit and our community helpers unit. We also reviewed the letter "A"
We did not get to her math lessons from her Abeka book, but we did go over number recognition.
So for next week, my goal is to cover:
- Phonics and Writing: The letter "B, b"
- Math: Lessons 14-16 in Abeka book
- Social Studies: Transportation; cars and motorcycles
- Science: Colors; mixing colors, rainbows, changing of leaves in fall etc
Then of course thrown in there this week we have dance class, karate class, an eye doctor appointment for Gigi, a prenatal appointment for me and preparing for Uncle B's visit (which I am thinking about having Gigi make something special for him one day but I haven't figure out what yet) on Saturday and preparing for our baby sprinkle celebration on Sunday. We will be pretty busy this week all around so again, if we don't get to it, there's always next week!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
The Business of Being Born
I just watched a movie called, "The business of being born" last night. It's actually a documentary type film. The idea for the film came from - Ricki Lake (remember her??)! Apparently, she had an unpleasant labor & delivery with her first child and a wonderful experience with her second and wanted to spread the word on midwives and natural childbirth. To anyone woman considering having a child or even about to have a child - I STRONGLY recommend watching this film.
This film really struck a chord with me. for those that don't know, or don't remember, I am going to explain what happened during labor and delivery with my first child and what I plan to do differently with my second.
When I was pregnant with Gigi, everything was a breeze. I had THE most wonderful pregnancy! I truly did enjoy EVERY minute of my child growing in my belly. I never had morning sickness or any other complications. I only had some slight swelling for the last two weeks before she was born. Although I loved being pregnant, towards the end I was anxious - well, down right impatient really. It wasn't that I was tired of being pregnant - or "done" with the whole "pregnancy thing" - as I've heard many women say. It was just that I was ready. I felt physically, emotionally and mentally ready to birth my child and finally hold her in my arms. Her room was ready, clothes washed, house cleaned. We had done the birthing class and hospital tour. Our bags were packed our birth plan thought out and discussed with my ob. We had her name all picked out and ready to go. Everything was done - we just needed the baby!
During my routine check up at 38 weeks 4 days, I told my ob that I had been having Braxton hicks contractions since the previous morning. My Ob decided to check to see if I was dilated at all. Sure enough I was 2 centimeters. This was on a Thursday. He told me to go have a light lunch and walk around for a while and then meet him back at the hospital between 3 and 4pm. He told me there was no way I would make it through the weekend. He flat out told me I was going to have my baby that day.
Well, I called up hubby and he left work. I went back to work to wait for him. When he arrived at my office we went over to Boston Market and ate a light lunch. We hung out for a bit - made a few phone calls to family and then headed over to the hospital. We arrived at Labor & Delivery at just after 3pm. I was taken back to triage and placed on monitors. A nurse came in to check the contractions and see if I was dilating. I was contracting - every 4 minutes by now - and they were real because I was now 3 centimeters dilated. I thought this was good, but the nurse said patients are usually not admitted until they are at least 4 centimeters but that the final decision was up to my doctor. My doctor was called and when he came in, he checked me again - still at 3. His solution to admit me - he stripped my membranes - something that was supposed to make me dilate more.
At about 4:30pm I was admitted and given a room. Contractions were still steady at 4 minutes apart - but more of an annoyance than painful at this point. Time came and went. At about 7pm or so I was still at a 3, so I was given Pitocin to make my contractions stronger. They still didn't bother me much with the pitocin. At about midnight my dr. came in a gain to check me. Now I was at 4 centimeters, but I guess one centimeter in that many hours was not good progress because he then proceeded to break my bag of waters. NOW the contractions were AWFUL!
As soon as my water was broken, the contractions were completely different. Before he even finished cleaning up, the Dr. asked if he should call the anesthesiologist now. I was in the middle of a contraction at the time so my answer was YES!! Within 15 minutes I had my epidural. With it in place I was able to sleep. I was checked again a few hours later - I was a five now.
Some point after that I had nurses rushing in making me get up on all fours, literally shaking my entire belly. The baby's heartbeat was dropping. When the baby's heartbeat came back on the monitor at a normal rate it was decided that she wasn't handling the pitocin, so the drip was stopped. They then placed an internal monitor on the baby's head. After about an hour or so of no more heart decelerations from the baby, the pit was started up again. Soon after, they completely lost the baby's heartbeat - something that should not happen when the baby is being monitored internally. Again I was being poked and prodded and given oxygen and being forced to change into 10 different positions until finally, the hear rate was back on the monitor. All this while NO ONE explained to me what was going on. When everything calmed down, one kind nurse - not my Dr., even though he was in the room- told me what was going on with the baby.
My doctor only jumped in to comment that he had to perform an emergency c-section - immediately. We could not wait because they did not know if they would lose the heartbeat again. The section was going to be the best - and only - choice for having a healthy baby. This decision was made at 6am on Friday.
Literally within minutes they had me in the operating room. My poor husband didn't even have time to grab the camera. At 6:13am - only 13 minutes after the decision had been made to have a c-section - our daughter was born. Her wailing let us know she was fine!
I was wheeled to a recovery room - my baby and hubby went down to the nursery. Some several hours later I was FINALLY able to hold my baby for the first time and really get a good look at her. On her tiny head was a bandage soaked in blood. My child had been cut during the c-section. Since there had been no more amniotic fluid to cushion her and she was already heading down the birth canal - my dr. had sliced her with the scalpel when making the incision into my uterus. My poor helpless baby - already harmed in the first seconds of life - and I did not protect her from it. What an awful feeling.
Now don't get me wrong, hearing my little one cry for the first time sent me balling! It was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard. My husband tells me that they placed her on my chest and I kissed her head. Unfortunately I was so drugged up - I don't remember ever doing that. My birth experience had left me sad, then angry, then depressed. I felt as if I had not given birth at all. I honestly felt as if my child had been ripped from my body where she had been safe and forced into the world before she was truly ready.
Honestly, I still - 3 years later - am not 100% over this. I feel like I was cheated. Robbed of what should have been a beautiful, loving, bonding experience. I was fully prepared mentally and emotionally for the pain and the hard work of giving birth but I was never really given the chance to see if I could do it. In the end I was not given a choice.
Here is the worst part. My daughter was born over Memorial Day weekend. Why is this the worst part? In hindsight, my husband and I realized, my Dr. didn't want to be called back to the hospital during Memorial Day weekend. He had even told us when we first arrived at the hospital that he had plans that weekend with his family - but this did not raise any flags at the time.
In the end, my labor and delivery was basically "scheduled" around my Dr.'s holiday plans. He wanted her delivered so he could go enjoy himself without interruption. It caused a horrible domino effect of interventions. Stripping of the membranes, pitocin, epidural, c-section. It all went hand in hand.
Thankfully my daughter was, and still is, a very healthy little girl.
Yet, the feeling of emptiness from the lack of a joyful birth experience remains. So this time around I hope to have a vaginal birth.
When we decided to start trying to conceive our second I called around to at least 10-15 different doctor offices inquiring about the option of a vaginal birth after c-section (vbac). They all told me the same thing; no, absolutely not, the risk was too high, I should just schedule a c-section and not think twice about it. Well, stubborn as I am, I kept calling people.
I finally found an office that would CONSIDER a vbac. It is an office of midwives. Something I had not ever considered. I had a consultation. The midwife went over my medical records. She looked over all of my prenatal records, labor notes from the Dr. and from the hospital and finally the surgery report. While she did explain that there is no guarantee that I would in the end have vaginal delivery - I was fit for a "trial of labor". This meant that I could try to go through the whole labor process - on my terms. If there is a problem during labor I will still receive a c-section. But the important thing is - I am being given a CHANCE!! That is all I want. In the end if a section is truly going to be the best for my baby, so be it. But that decision should only be made if necessary - not if convenient.
When I told some family members and even some friends about my choice to see a midwife and try to have a vbac, just about everyone thought I was crazy. They too agreed with the ob's that it was too dangerous - a c-section would be safer for both me and the baby.
Unfortunately, c-sections have become so commonplace in today's society that this is a widespread belief = c-sections are the "better" and "safer" choice.
What people are failing to realize and remember is; it is a SURGERY!! And a MAJOR one. It's NOT one simple cut and done. There are many layers that need to be cut, organs that need to be shifted and then replaced in the proper place when done, chances of major blood loss, organ damage and many other possible complications. It's a BIG deal. And the second is MORE dangerous than the first!
My mother and father feared the "uterine rupture" possibility when I told them of my decision. Truth is, depending on how the initial incision was made in the uterus and how it was stitched up and healed, a previously sectioned woman has the SAME odds of having her uterus rupture as that of a woman who has NEVER had a baby before.
I will still be delivering in a hospital, just down the hall from an operating room should the need arise. I still plan on getting an epidural - just waiting a little bit longer this time so I progress more.
But, My midwife will NOT induce, she will not administer pitocin. She will not push the epidural on me - she will wait until I ask for it. It was made very clear to me that everything must happen naturally - when my body and baby make it happen - not when a doctor thinks it's time for it to happen. This alone makes me so much happier in my decision thus far.
We still have about 7 weeks till my due date. We will see what happens when it all comes down to it. But again, at least it's on my terms this time around - not a Dr. with an agenda. This is the way it should be!
Before I officially step down from my soapbox, I just want to make it clear - I believe every woman has her own reasons for the birth plans she creates and strives for. I think most women have an instinctual knowledge of what will be best for them and their baby. I believe every woman should have the right to choose what is best for her and her baby - not be told by a third party. Whether it be a completely natural drug free birth, a pain medication assisted birth, a planned c-section - as long as it is the woman's choice - it's the right one.
Again, if you are trying to conceive or just discovered the wonderful news that you are expecting - just be informed! Educate yourself on your options as well as the possible scenarios of birthing. Make an INFORMED decision. REALLY put time and thought into what you want your experience to be like. If your doctor won't comply with your wishes (granted that they are reasonable) find another doctor!! Look into a midwife!! this is an experience that will remain with you the rest of your life - make sure it's what you want.
Finally, rent this movie!!! It shows both opinions - that of Ob's and that of midwives. It gives tons of facts about labor and delivery in our country. It's a wonderfully educational film!
As for me - I love the way my prenatal appointments have gone thus far. I like that the midwife is willing to wait out my pregnancy and labor so my body can do what it was made to do - what i KNOWS to do.
When the time comes to welcome my son into this world, I will truly be able to give a comparison of my two birth experiences - regardless of how he gets here. I truly believe that even if I end up with another c-section, I will feel more fulfilled by my actual labor experience this time around. At least I will know that I was given the opportunity to deliver on my own and that I tried my very best.
With just about 7 weeks to go, we will all find out soon enough!!
This film really struck a chord with me. for those that don't know, or don't remember, I am going to explain what happened during labor and delivery with my first child and what I plan to do differently with my second.
WARNING!! This will be a LONG post!
When I was pregnant with Gigi, everything was a breeze. I had THE most wonderful pregnancy! I truly did enjoy EVERY minute of my child growing in my belly. I never had morning sickness or any other complications. I only had some slight swelling for the last two weeks before she was born. Although I loved being pregnant, towards the end I was anxious - well, down right impatient really. It wasn't that I was tired of being pregnant - or "done" with the whole "pregnancy thing" - as I've heard many women say. It was just that I was ready. I felt physically, emotionally and mentally ready to birth my child and finally hold her in my arms. Her room was ready, clothes washed, house cleaned. We had done the birthing class and hospital tour. Our bags were packed our birth plan thought out and discussed with my ob. We had her name all picked out and ready to go. Everything was done - we just needed the baby!
During my routine check up at 38 weeks 4 days, I told my ob that I had been having Braxton hicks contractions since the previous morning. My Ob decided to check to see if I was dilated at all. Sure enough I was 2 centimeters. This was on a Thursday. He told me to go have a light lunch and walk around for a while and then meet him back at the hospital between 3 and 4pm. He told me there was no way I would make it through the weekend. He flat out told me I was going to have my baby that day.
Well, I called up hubby and he left work. I went back to work to wait for him. When he arrived at my office we went over to Boston Market and ate a light lunch. We hung out for a bit - made a few phone calls to family and then headed over to the hospital. We arrived at Labor & Delivery at just after 3pm. I was taken back to triage and placed on monitors. A nurse came in to check the contractions and see if I was dilating. I was contracting - every 4 minutes by now - and they were real because I was now 3 centimeters dilated. I thought this was good, but the nurse said patients are usually not admitted until they are at least 4 centimeters but that the final decision was up to my doctor. My doctor was called and when he came in, he checked me again - still at 3. His solution to admit me - he stripped my membranes - something that was supposed to make me dilate more.
At about 4:30pm I was admitted and given a room. Contractions were still steady at 4 minutes apart - but more of an annoyance than painful at this point. Time came and went. At about 7pm or so I was still at a 3, so I was given Pitocin to make my contractions stronger. They still didn't bother me much with the pitocin. At about midnight my dr. came in a gain to check me. Now I was at 4 centimeters, but I guess one centimeter in that many hours was not good progress because he then proceeded to break my bag of waters. NOW the contractions were AWFUL!
As soon as my water was broken, the contractions were completely different. Before he even finished cleaning up, the Dr. asked if he should call the anesthesiologist now. I was in the middle of a contraction at the time so my answer was YES!! Within 15 minutes I had my epidural. With it in place I was able to sleep. I was checked again a few hours later - I was a five now.
Some point after that I had nurses rushing in making me get up on all fours, literally shaking my entire belly. The baby's heartbeat was dropping. When the baby's heartbeat came back on the monitor at a normal rate it was decided that she wasn't handling the pitocin, so the drip was stopped. They then placed an internal monitor on the baby's head. After about an hour or so of no more heart decelerations from the baby, the pit was started up again. Soon after, they completely lost the baby's heartbeat - something that should not happen when the baby is being monitored internally. Again I was being poked and prodded and given oxygen and being forced to change into 10 different positions until finally, the hear rate was back on the monitor. All this while NO ONE explained to me what was going on. When everything calmed down, one kind nurse - not my Dr., even though he was in the room- told me what was going on with the baby.
My doctor only jumped in to comment that he had to perform an emergency c-section - immediately. We could not wait because they did not know if they would lose the heartbeat again. The section was going to be the best - and only - choice for having a healthy baby. This decision was made at 6am on Friday.
Literally within minutes they had me in the operating room. My poor husband didn't even have time to grab the camera. At 6:13am - only 13 minutes after the decision had been made to have a c-section - our daughter was born. Her wailing let us know she was fine!
I was wheeled to a recovery room - my baby and hubby went down to the nursery. Some several hours later I was FINALLY able to hold my baby for the first time and really get a good look at her. On her tiny head was a bandage soaked in blood. My child had been cut during the c-section. Since there had been no more amniotic fluid to cushion her and she was already heading down the birth canal - my dr. had sliced her with the scalpel when making the incision into my uterus. My poor helpless baby - already harmed in the first seconds of life - and I did not protect her from it. What an awful feeling.
Now don't get me wrong, hearing my little one cry for the first time sent me balling! It was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard. My husband tells me that they placed her on my chest and I kissed her head. Unfortunately I was so drugged up - I don't remember ever doing that. My birth experience had left me sad, then angry, then depressed. I felt as if I had not given birth at all. I honestly felt as if my child had been ripped from my body where she had been safe and forced into the world before she was truly ready.
Honestly, I still - 3 years later - am not 100% over this. I feel like I was cheated. Robbed of what should have been a beautiful, loving, bonding experience. I was fully prepared mentally and emotionally for the pain and the hard work of giving birth but I was never really given the chance to see if I could do it. In the end I was not given a choice.
Here is the worst part. My daughter was born over Memorial Day weekend. Why is this the worst part? In hindsight, my husband and I realized, my Dr. didn't want to be called back to the hospital during Memorial Day weekend. He had even told us when we first arrived at the hospital that he had plans that weekend with his family - but this did not raise any flags at the time.
In the end, my labor and delivery was basically "scheduled" around my Dr.'s holiday plans. He wanted her delivered so he could go enjoy himself without interruption. It caused a horrible domino effect of interventions. Stripping of the membranes, pitocin, epidural, c-section. It all went hand in hand.
Thankfully my daughter was, and still is, a very healthy little girl.
Yet, the feeling of emptiness from the lack of a joyful birth experience remains. So this time around I hope to have a vaginal birth.
When we decided to start trying to conceive our second I called around to at least 10-15 different doctor offices inquiring about the option of a vaginal birth after c-section (vbac). They all told me the same thing; no, absolutely not, the risk was too high, I should just schedule a c-section and not think twice about it. Well, stubborn as I am, I kept calling people.
I finally found an office that would CONSIDER a vbac. It is an office of midwives. Something I had not ever considered. I had a consultation. The midwife went over my medical records. She looked over all of my prenatal records, labor notes from the Dr. and from the hospital and finally the surgery report. While she did explain that there is no guarantee that I would in the end have vaginal delivery - I was fit for a "trial of labor". This meant that I could try to go through the whole labor process - on my terms. If there is a problem during labor I will still receive a c-section. But the important thing is - I am being given a CHANCE!! That is all I want. In the end if a section is truly going to be the best for my baby, so be it. But that decision should only be made if necessary - not if convenient.
When I told some family members and even some friends about my choice to see a midwife and try to have a vbac, just about everyone thought I was crazy. They too agreed with the ob's that it was too dangerous - a c-section would be safer for both me and the baby.
Unfortunately, c-sections have become so commonplace in today's society that this is a widespread belief = c-sections are the "better" and "safer" choice.
What people are failing to realize and remember is; it is a SURGERY!! And a MAJOR one. It's NOT one simple cut and done. There are many layers that need to be cut, organs that need to be shifted and then replaced in the proper place when done, chances of major blood loss, organ damage and many other possible complications. It's a BIG deal. And the second is MORE dangerous than the first!
My mother and father feared the "uterine rupture" possibility when I told them of my decision. Truth is, depending on how the initial incision was made in the uterus and how it was stitched up and healed, a previously sectioned woman has the SAME odds of having her uterus rupture as that of a woman who has NEVER had a baby before.
I will still be delivering in a hospital, just down the hall from an operating room should the need arise. I still plan on getting an epidural - just waiting a little bit longer this time so I progress more.
But, My midwife will NOT induce, she will not administer pitocin. She will not push the epidural on me - she will wait until I ask for it. It was made very clear to me that everything must happen naturally - when my body and baby make it happen - not when a doctor thinks it's time for it to happen. This alone makes me so much happier in my decision thus far.
We still have about 7 weeks till my due date. We will see what happens when it all comes down to it. But again, at least it's on my terms this time around - not a Dr. with an agenda. This is the way it should be!
Before I officially step down from my soapbox, I just want to make it clear - I believe every woman has her own reasons for the birth plans she creates and strives for. I think most women have an instinctual knowledge of what will be best for them and their baby. I believe every woman should have the right to choose what is best for her and her baby - not be told by a third party. Whether it be a completely natural drug free birth, a pain medication assisted birth, a planned c-section - as long as it is the woman's choice - it's the right one.
Again, if you are trying to conceive or just discovered the wonderful news that you are expecting - just be informed! Educate yourself on your options as well as the possible scenarios of birthing. Make an INFORMED decision. REALLY put time and thought into what you want your experience to be like. If your doctor won't comply with your wishes (granted that they are reasonable) find another doctor!! Look into a midwife!! this is an experience that will remain with you the rest of your life - make sure it's what you want.
Finally, rent this movie!!! It shows both opinions - that of Ob's and that of midwives. It gives tons of facts about labor and delivery in our country. It's a wonderfully educational film!
As for me - I love the way my prenatal appointments have gone thus far. I like that the midwife is willing to wait out my pregnancy and labor so my body can do what it was made to do - what i KNOWS to do.
When the time comes to welcome my son into this world, I will truly be able to give a comparison of my two birth experiences - regardless of how he gets here. I truly believe that even if I end up with another c-section, I will feel more fulfilled by my actual labor experience this time around. At least I will know that I was given the opportunity to deliver on my own and that I tried my very best.
With just about 7 weeks to go, we will all find out soon enough!!
Kim Hall's School of Dance
Okay, so we have enrolled Gigi in dance this year - again. We enrolled her last year when she was two, but unfortunately we had to pull her out after only about 2 months. She didn't have the attention span, or the discipline, needed to follow instructions and actually dance. All she wanted to do was run around. I felt bad that she was distracting the other kids so we took her out.
Well, this year she has been doing great so far! granted she is still only 3 so she has a moment or two when she loses focus and the teacher has to tell her twice to do something. But all in all she is listening. The teacher remembered her from last year (not sure if that's such a good thing) and even commented on how much she has matured since last year.
So anyway, her class is every Wednesday and lasts 45 minutes. As of right now (it's about the 5th week?) there is Gigi who is 3, another 3 year old, a 4 year old and an almost 5 year old (who shows up on occasion). They are taught 15 minutes of tap, 15 minutes of ballet and 15 minutes of acrobatics.
Gigi recently told me that she likes doing tap and she likes doing her "Tumbles" but she doesn't like the ballet. So she says, she does it though.
My brave little monkey doesn't seem to care that Mama sits outside the dance studio. In fact, she just about the slams the door on me when she is ready to go in.
After 15 minutes of tap, it's time for ballet. They do stretching first and then they have actual little dance moves to coordinate with songs that the teacher has picked out. This in reality is all in preparation for the recital that they are to perform in June! They will work on the same moves to the same songs pretty much all year. I hope she makes it to recital!!
Don't mind the circles over the other kids faces - they're really cute girls!! I just have this thing about putting pics of other people's kids on the internet without the parent's consent.
it really is adorable to watch her do her little dance moves! I get so filled with pride since she LISTENS now!! It's very exciting!
Well, this year she has been doing great so far! granted she is still only 3 so she has a moment or two when she loses focus and the teacher has to tell her twice to do something. But all in all she is listening. The teacher remembered her from last year (not sure if that's such a good thing) and even commented on how much she has matured since last year.
So anyway, her class is every Wednesday and lasts 45 minutes. As of right now (it's about the 5th week?) there is Gigi who is 3, another 3 year old, a 4 year old and an almost 5 year old (who shows up on occasion). They are taught 15 minutes of tap, 15 minutes of ballet and 15 minutes of acrobatics.
Gigi recently told me that she likes doing tap and she likes doing her "Tumbles" but she doesn't like the ballet. So she says, she does it though.
My brave little monkey doesn't seem to care that Mama sits outside the dance studio. In fact, she just about the slams the door on me when she is ready to go in.
At the start of class, the girls have to stand on their "spots" to show they are ready to begin. the spots are really just little pieces of masking tape on the floor. Then they begin tap.
After 15 minutes of tap, it's time for ballet. They do stretching first and then they have actual little dance moves to coordinate with songs that the teacher has picked out. This in reality is all in preparation for the recital that they are to perform in June! They will work on the same moves to the same songs pretty much all year. I hope she makes it to recital!!
Don't mind the circles over the other kids faces - they're really cute girls!! I just have this thing about putting pics of other people's kids on the internet without the parent's consent.
it really is adorable to watch her do her little dance moves! I get so filled with pride since she LISTENS now!! It's very exciting!
Karate Class
My busy little bee is also enrolled in karate this year. We mainly put her in this class to aid in teaching discipline and respect. Her class is on Thursdays and lasts 30 minutes.
The Sensei is great and very patient. Yet at the same time she is firm yet gentle and consistent about reminding the kids to not do anything until they are told, to answer with respect by saying "Yes/No/Thank You Sensei Sara" and also telling them at each class that they are allowed to do karate on their friends, pets or parents. She is teaching them that they are learning karate to protect themselves, not to play or show off. that to me i great that she reinforces these things at each class.
Anyway, Gigi is up to her third week of classes now and it is very obvious that she enjoys it. Although her actual technique is not what it quite should be, she is doing very well so far. She is listening to her teacher and she is trying really hard. I am very proud of her! there is no doubt in my mind that she is very proud of herself as well!
Well, here are some pics from today's class.
The Sensei is great and very patient. Yet at the same time she is firm yet gentle and consistent about reminding the kids to not do anything until they are told, to answer with respect by saying "Yes/No/Thank You Sensei Sara" and also telling them at each class that they are allowed to do karate on their friends, pets or parents. She is teaching them that they are learning karate to protect themselves, not to play or show off. that to me i great that she reinforces these things at each class.
Anyway, Gigi is up to her third week of classes now and it is very obvious that she enjoys it. Although her actual technique is not what it quite should be, she is doing very well so far. She is listening to her teacher and she is trying really hard. I am very proud of her! there is no doubt in my mind that she is very proud of herself as well!
Well, here are some pics from today's class.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Recap of the week; September 8-12
Well, this week we didn't quite get to all the lessons I had planned - but that's okay, I'll move what's left to next week. If nothing else, that means less planning on my part for next week!
This week we worked on:
We did get quite a bit accomplished though in my opinion. This week we started using the "ABC Discovery" program for the first time. It starts with "A" and has little characters for each letter. Gigi liked the character for "A", Abigail. Throughout the week we went over recognizing the letter by sight, practicing the sound it makes, finding things that begin with the sound and finally learning to write the letter. I had Gigi practice writing "A" and "a" on paper only once. The other days we practiced using cornstarch, sticks and circles and shaving cream.
When we used the shaving cream, we also incorporated part of our five senses lessons by smelling the shaving cream, describing how it feels etc. Gigi had a blast with this!! This is one of the main reasons some other things didn't get done - but she was enjoying herself, so I let her!
We also talked about our sense of touch, sense of sight and sense of hearing.
When we talked about touch, we used our sensory board, blindfolded to try to match just by feeling the different textures - Gigi did very well!
When we talked about our sense of hearing, we played another matching game, this time with our sound boxes. this was a bit more challenging for Gigi, but she came out on top in the end!
For sight, we just played a simple game of "I spy". We also read a few books about senses.
For math we did lessons 11-13 in our Abeka book. This included a day of "fishing" which was lots of fun! Gigi had to "fish" for construction paper fish with numbers (1-8 only) on them out of a box, when she got one she had to tell me how much it "weighed" by reading the number on it. If she didn't know or got it wrong, that meant the fish got away! It was great to see how excited she got when she caught one!
For social studies we talked about different community helpers. We talked about firefighters and police officers and I also used this an opportunity to go over "stop, drop and roll" and when is the right time to call 9-1-1 and what she should tell the operator. We also talked about farmers and how they grow the food we eat. We have several farms near us, so we drove by those as well. We also watched a few videos on firefighters and farmers and read a few books. Gigi colored some pictures of firefighters, farmers and police officers. She also made a toilet paper craft of a police officer and a farmer and made a foam firetruck.
Well, that pretty much sums up the lessons we did this week. Since we did not get to everything that was planned, we will be continuing with the same themes next week.
Next week I plan to cover:
We'll see how that goes!!
This week we worked on:
- Phonics and writing: The letter "A"
- Math: Counting objects and recognizing the numbers 1-8, comparing same/different and big/small etc. (Lessons 11-13 in Number Skills book).
- Science: Our five senses
- Social Studies: Community helpers
We did get quite a bit accomplished though in my opinion. This week we started using the "ABC Discovery" program for the first time. It starts with "A" and has little characters for each letter. Gigi liked the character for "A", Abigail. Throughout the week we went over recognizing the letter by sight, practicing the sound it makes, finding things that begin with the sound and finally learning to write the letter. I had Gigi practice writing "A" and "a" on paper only once. The other days we practiced using cornstarch, sticks and circles and shaving cream.
When we used the shaving cream, we also incorporated part of our five senses lessons by smelling the shaving cream, describing how it feels etc. Gigi had a blast with this!! This is one of the main reasons some other things didn't get done - but she was enjoying herself, so I let her!
We also talked about our sense of touch, sense of sight and sense of hearing.
When we talked about touch, we used our sensory board, blindfolded to try to match just by feeling the different textures - Gigi did very well!
When we talked about our sense of hearing, we played another matching game, this time with our sound boxes. this was a bit more challenging for Gigi, but she came out on top in the end!
For sight, we just played a simple game of "I spy". We also read a few books about senses.
For math we did lessons 11-13 in our Abeka book. This included a day of "fishing" which was lots of fun! Gigi had to "fish" for construction paper fish with numbers (1-8 only) on them out of a box, when she got one she had to tell me how much it "weighed" by reading the number on it. If she didn't know or got it wrong, that meant the fish got away! It was great to see how excited she got when she caught one!
For social studies we talked about different community helpers. We talked about firefighters and police officers and I also used this an opportunity to go over "stop, drop and roll" and when is the right time to call 9-1-1 and what she should tell the operator. We also talked about farmers and how they grow the food we eat. We have several farms near us, so we drove by those as well. We also watched a few videos on firefighters and farmers and read a few books. Gigi colored some pictures of firefighters, farmers and police officers. She also made a toilet paper craft of a police officer and a farmer and made a foam firetruck.
Well, that pretty much sums up the lessons we did this week. Since we did not get to everything that was planned, we will be continuing with the same themes next week.
Next week I plan to cover:
- Phonics and writing: The letter "B" and review of the letter "A"
- Math: Lessons 14-16 in Number skills book
- Science: Our five senses; Smell and taste
- Social Studies: Community Helpers; Mail carriers and doctors
We'll see how that goes!!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Homeschooling Begins!
Although my lil Gigi and I have always done some form of learning every day since she was an infant, I have decided to venture into a more formal version of teaching this year. I've posted some pics so you can take a peek at our school room/play room/Mama's sewing and craft space! Also formerly known as our formal living room. :)
My daughter is only three, and yes, I have heard the many masses of people who say "just let them play - they'll learn!" and yes, I agree. However, I know my daughter better than anyone else in this world and if I feel she can handle AND benefit from more formal schooling- I'm gonna do it!! I don't need anyone's approval to do so and I also don't need anyone's negative comments or opinions that I am "pushing" education on my young child and causing her to miss out on "being a kid". I don't push her and she certainly gets plenty of time just "being a kid".
That being said - what do I do?? Well, this year we are actually using a curriculum (somewhat). I have pulled resources from various places and combined them to make, what I feel, is a complete curriculum for us. I began by printing out the skills list for 3 and 4 year olds (since there was a lot on the 3 year old list that she already knows, I also pulled the list for 4 year olds) and am using these as a guide for what I believe my daughter can reasonably master by the end of the year. If she doesn't master all the skills - there's alway next year! I plan to go at whatever pace is comfortable for her - no deadlines! I used the skills lists that were created by Michelle Lewis - I think they are great!!
We are beginning to learn about phonics this year since Gigi has shown an immense interest in what the "symbols" in her story books say. To aid in this task, I am using a program called "ABC Discovery". It was given to me, so I thought I would give it a shot. I'm still not sure if it will work for us, but I will keep you updated on our progress.
For math we are using Abeka's "Number Skills". We actually started with this in August. We've completed (successfully) 13 lessons so far and Gigi LOVES it! I think we will be sticking with Abeka for our math this year!
Science and social studies so far have been done by me picking a topic and pulling various books, dvd's and other resources we already own to present the theme.
For example, this week for science we are learning about our 5 senses. Every day we focus on a different sense. We read stories about it and then do some sort of hands-on activity to demonstrate how to use that sense - like playing with sound boxes, blindfolded, to see if we can hear the different sound each one makes.
Every weekend I gather up all the supplies, print outs and workbook pages I am going to need for the following week. I sit down and write out a lesson plan for what I want to accomplish on each day and how I want to get it done. I then put all that information into separate pocket folders - one for each day. This way on Monday morning I just need to grab the folder labeled "Monday" and everything I need is already there - no searching for anything! We don't always get to all the folders for he week, so then I just use them following week instead.
This has been a fabulous system for a full month now. Having everything prepared ahead of time ensures that I actually get things done!! Which is HUGE for me considering I tend to have wonderful ideas but not the motivation to follow through with them!
Will it work for the whole year?? Who knows. I am hopeful, but not banking on it - especially since baby #2 is expected to arrive in early November. I am sure he will throw a great big wrench into our normal schedule! Am I gonna sweat it?? Absolutely not. I know we have plenty of time to get these things done - when it happens it happens!
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