The Love Muffin

Hi everybody! So we have been really trying to come up with a nick name for Julian as we have for Peanut. Since 3 months is really the turning point with regard to a baby becoming more social, laughing more and smiling a lot, Julian has proved to be a total love. He is snugly and loves to laugh and smile. So, Love Muffin it is. Or just Muffin.

Life with 2 peanuts has been interesting, fun and of course challenging over the last almost 4, yes 4 months! We can't believe our little babe turns 4 months old on Thanksgiving. Mira loves her little bro and we could not be more proud of how she interacts with him. She can't wait to be able to play with him.

Julian is keeping me hopping at night still unfortunately. And he was supposed to me our GOOD sleeper!! HA!! He was going 4-5 hr. stretches initially but now is doing abut 3. It could be due to his new found skill of rolling over as milestones like these cause bumps in sleep patterns. Let's hope it is short lived!

To all those moms who fear they will not have enough love in their hearts for more than one baby, fear no more. I too was concerned about this. Everyone was right. You love each child individually and uniquely. We Do have plenty of love to go around.

Being a mom to 2 kids still seems surreal to me. Just saying "my kids" is weird. Yet amazing. Each baby is so different too. Mannerisms, sounds, habits, etc. It's so much fun to get to know Julian during this time at home. I treasure nearly every second. (Other than the ones I spend walking back and forth to and from his room all night long!) I feel very lucky to have this time with him. Mira and I were home together for only 3 1/2 months and it was just getting really fun.

Mira is loving preschool and thriving as we knew she would. She is smart, compassionate, nurturing and sensitive. She is clearly teacher's pet as well. During Open House Night the teachers could not say enough positive things about her. We beamed from ear to ear.

So, at this time of Thanksgiving I pause to consider all of our blessings. Two beautiful children, an amazing husband who is a true partner in every facet of parenting and our wonderful life together.

Cheers to all mommies and daddies who make it work, work together and have spectacular kids to show for it. All of our hard work does pay off.

Julian's Birth Sory- Our Doula's Perspective

Birth story for Julian Elan

Fern’s induction had been scheduled for August 6, 2008, for a while. This was at 38 weeks, which was when her doctors felt it would be safest for Julian to be born due to gestational diabetes. Since she had gone into labor at 37 weeks with her first child, Fern hoped not to reach the induction date and tried many gentle methods to try to prod her body into labor. None of these worked, though, so in the evening of August 6, we met at the hospital for a balloon catheter to be placed and start the process of Julian’s birth.

At 10:00 pm, Dr. Senior placed the balloon catheter. Fern had received stadol beforehand, as she wanted help with her anxiety and any pain that might occur when the catheter was placed. She accepted some sleeping pills and tried to settle in for the night, but this was difficult considering how often she was being checked on to get blood sugar levels and to increase tension on the balloon catheter. Neither Fern nor Kevin got enough rest that night!

At 5:30 am, the balloon catheter came out when the nurse applied pressure to it. Arrangements were made to slowly start the pitocin drip, and at 6:30 am a cervical check revealed dilation to be 3.5 centimeters.

Through the morning, Fern was relatively comfortable. She was feeling the contractions mildly but remarked at how they weren’t really painful. Everyone tried to get some rest now and then, in anticipation of the work to be done later. In between, we chatted, watched a little television, and Fern and Kevin kept all their family and supporters in the loop via phone calls and texts.

At noon, Dr. Kasper arrived to check on Fern. She checked her cervix and found that it was 4 cm dilated. She asked permission to break Fern’s water and Fern reluctantly agreed (she had wanted the epidural placed first). The nurse went to call the anesthesiologist right away. While we waited for him, Fern did start feeling the contractions more intensely and by the time he arrived she was more than ready for the epidural. Getting the epidural placed was a big source of anxiety and pain for Fern, and among her least favorite parts of the birth experience, despite the fact that she was glad to have the epidural. Fortunately, the anesthesiologist allowed Kevin and me to stay close to her to help her through it. After it was placed at about 12:30, Fern felt relief quickly on one side but it took quite a while to be effective on the other side, even after leaning toward that side. Still, it was enough relief to not be worth problem-solving the placement.

At 2pm, a cervix check showed dilation to 4.5 cm. The contraction monitor showed that the contractions were coming about every 3 minutes, a good pattern. The nurse turned up the pitocin every now and then, but the highest it ever went in the whole birth was 18, which was comforting for a VBAC, both in terms of safety and in how well Fern’s body was doing with labor. Through the afternoon, Fern relaxed to her iPod music and dozed here and there. She started getting uncomfortable in her back from being stuck in bed for so long, so I offered some massage. Fern started feeling some pressure in the mid-afternoon, which let us know that baby was descending. The combination of the sensation and the knowledge that she was getting closer to pushing this baby out made Fern a little bit nervous and her teeth started chattering. Kevin and I took turns massaging her head, and she relaxed fully. (It was quite remarkable - I wished I’d known this about her when the epidural was being placed!) Around 4:30, nurse Mel did an exam and found dilation to 8 and baby at +1 station – this was great progress!

Around 6:30, an exam showed complete dilation! Fern started pushing at around 7pm. She was fantastic at pushing. She did a fabulous job. We could see Julian’s head moving down with each push. Of course, the head moved back up in between pushes… this is normal but can be frustrating. Everyone remarked at his blond hair. Fern felt like pushing was taking a long time and started saying how tired she was. Kevin was great encouragement for her, and Dr. Kasper, the nurse and I all added encouragement too. No matter how tired she got, her pushes continued to be strong. Finally the baby came around and up the pubic bone, and stopped moving back up during contractions. From here it was fast moving, and at 8:58 pm, Julian Elan was born!

Fern got to hold him right away, and there was so much emotion in the room from both Fern and Kevin. It was obvious how thrilled they were to meet Julian, and how much his arrival “the way G-d intended” (as Fern put it) meant to them. They were able to hold him as much as they wanted, were able to put him to the breast when Fern was ready, and were enraptured by him.

Julian Elan Dahlstrom

August 7, 2008

8:58 pm

7 lbs 11 oz

20 inches

Fern and Kevin, thank you for giving me the privilege of being a part of Julian’s birth. I enjoyed our time together prenatally and was honored to be your labor support. Your love for each other and your children is apparent, as is the foundation it provides for your family. Your attitude in life of accepting reality yet striving for the best is an inspiration and will serve you well on the journey of parenthood. Congratulations on Julian’s birth and on your successful VBAC. All my best to you.

Blessings,

Megan

Julian's Birth Story

When we found out we were pregnant again it was a bit of a shock. We had only been "sort of" trying for 2 months. Yes, it's true. We stopped the pill in Sept. and became pregnant in Nov. By New Year's Eve I was feeling green around the gills and thought I had a stomach bug. I was so nauseous I could barely enjoy my New Year's Eve dinner out with Lovey. He was the one that made me take the test despite my protests and sheer denial that I could be pregnant.

Well, I took the test and defiantly looked at the little window and proclaimed up the stairs to him, NEGATIVE!! Kevin comes down and says "It has not even been one minute!" I say, "The lines are too far apart to be positive." When Kevin looked at the window on the stick he says "Babe, it's either two lines or one, it doesn't matter how close together they are...Mommy". Wow, well, here we go again!!

The pregnancy was great despite the gestational diabetes I mention in an earlier post. Won't go into that too much. Suffice it to say, not fun. I do however owe a huge thank you to all of the people who supported my health and ensured Julian was healthy as well. The Perinatal Center, OBGYN Specialists, the Diabetes Center, etc. And of course my family and friends who called all the time and brought me sugar free foods (mom) and put up with my counting carbs while out to dinner and charting all of my glucose numbers constantly. It was depressing in the beginning but worth it of course.

As our due date approached we were told that our OB would like to induce around 38 weeks. Babies whose mom's have GD have a higher risk for still birth. Aside from increased risk of a big baby and less of a chance for me to have a VBAC.

A VBAC is an acronym for vaginal birth after cesarean. Since Mira was breech, I had a C section with her. I had made up my mind early on that I would try for a VBAC this time despite the risks. My OBs were open to it and supported my wishes throughout the pregnancy.

Kevin and I pushed back a bit on the induction as many times women who are induced end up having to have a c section anyway. This was definitely not what I wanted and it concerned us. After running it by our perinatologist, our Doula and researching on our own, we agreed to the induction at 38 weeks. Each of the OB docs agreed it was the best thing.

So, the quest for induction avoidance began. We embarked on a journey to try everything and anything that would bring on labor naturally and spontaneously. These things included acupuncture, walking, spicy foods, more sex, herbs, etc. No go on the labor.

The day the induction was scheduled was pretty tense to say the least. We even went for super spicy Indian food and no luck. Julian was staying put until he had no other choice!

We were instructed to call the labor and delivery charge nurse that evening at 6:00 PM to find out what time to come in. When I called I was told they were too busy that night and to call the next day. "I'm sorry, what?" (We knew this was a possibility, however my induction was due to medical need so we were surprised." After a call to Dr. Senior (the OB doing my induction) she called the charge nurse/scheduler to see what she could do. The hospital called me 10 minutes later and said to come on in. A good thing considering our nerves were shot and we were all packed up. We had told Mira were were off to have Julian and then told here we weren't. And then we were...so, off we went after some deep breaths.

When we got to the hospital we met our Doula, Megan there. A Doula is sort of a birth coach, support person. Not a medical person like a midwife. Megan was with us to keep us calm and relaxed. And that she did. Thank you Megan! Megan was a godsend when it came to any questions we might have had about the process. We were in it for the long haul once the induction began.

Around 9:00 pm Dr. Senior came into the room to insert the Foley catheter balloon which would be placed on the placenta side of the cervix to put pressure on it as would the baby's head. This would cause the cervix to open. This impending procedure had caused me great stress over the week before and I did ask for Stadol to help me get through it and be a little calmer. Thanks for that! The entire procedure probably took less than 3 minutes to insert it. And no, did not really hurt. Just uncomfortable. Once the catheter was placed I was settled in for a little rest and given a sleeping pill. It didn't help much as those hospital beds and not the most comfortable. Oh, and every 3 hours my nurse would tug on the catheter. Around 5:30 or 6:00 am the catheter came out when tugged on. By that point I was about 3 cm dilated. It's at that point that they started pitocin. Pitocin causes contractions and is the "traditional" methods used to induce. The pitocin dose was low throughout the day and I was feeling mild contractions but they were not bad enough to warrant an epidural.

At noon I was 4 cm. Dr. Kasper asked if she could break my water. She did and then the flood gates opened. The contractions REALLY started. Fast and strong. EPIDURAL PLEASE!!! Arund 1:00 I received the horribly uncomfortable, painful epidural. That was the worst of the entire experience for sure. Crying for 15 minutes at least. No fun. Kevin and Megan helped me through it as best they could but it was terrible. I was so glad when it was over.

It did help so much with the contractions and I was grateful for pain meds. We waited, talked and tried to rest during the day as the pitocin was increased ever so slightly. If it had been too strong it might have caused issues and my VBAC could have been a distant desire. About 4:30 I was 8 cm!

At 6:30 pm I was completely dilated!! I started pushing at 7 pm and pushed for a total of 2 grueling hours. That was definitely the most exhausting 2 hours of my life. The physical toll that took on my body was indescribable to anyone not having lived it themselves! Wow, what an amazing experience. Kevin, Megan, the Drs and nurses were all so great at coaching me to push more efficiently. At one point toward the birth Julian's heartbeat fell off of the monitor and the Dr. was ready to place a fetal monitor in his scalp. I heard this and gave one super big push and out he came. No monitor necessary. It's amazing what the body and mind can do when motivated.

Julian was placed on my chest immediately and he picked his little head up and looked right at me. How about that??!! Miraculous.

I am incredibly grateful for everyone and everything that made this miraculous birth possible. To be able to experience birth as G-d intended was such a gift. To have two totally different birth experiences is also a true blessing. Nothing can compare to growing a tiny human being inside your body and watching as he or she comes into this world to meet you.

Gearing Up for #2!

Wow, it's been waaaaay too long since I have entered a post. So sorry everyone! So much has been going on over the last year. I need to pick and choose what to write about!

As most of you know we are expecting a baby boy any day now. His name will be Julian Elan. Our due date was actually Aug. 20th but we will be induced Aug. 7th if he does not come on his own before then.

It's been an interesting pregnancy this time around. So different than the pregnancy with Mira. This time I had no swelling and am walking regularly on our treadmill. I have been telling people that my body is still my body except for the basketball I am carrying around with me!

Now in week 38 I am having a hard time getting comfortable and sleeping. But, that is how it goes!

The induction I mentioned earlier is due to multiple factors. At the end of May I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes. The least likely candidate for this according to my OBs. It was a shocker indeed. So, for the last 2 months I have been checking my blood glucose 4 times a day and giving myself insulin shots before bed. Fun, fun! Mainly to control my morning pre-meal numbers which were slightly higher than the standard of 95 and below. All other numbers have been right on track throughout.

I now know more about GD than I ever wanted to know as you can imagine! It's actually quite interesting. Basically when you are pregnant the placenta acts as an insulin blocker and your body (pancreas) cannot product enough on its own at times. Thus the insulin. Many women who have GD however do not need insulin. I am one of the lucky ones!

Along with working with the Diabetes Center affiliated with our local hospital to manage my diet and glucose, I have been going for what the OBs call NSTs or Non Stress Tests twice a week. This is when they place 2 monitors on my belly and track the baby's heart rate in conjunction with his movements. They look for 3 spikes in heart rate during a 30 minute time frame for 15 seconds or more. So far Julian is passing these tests with flying colors! Every Thurs. I also have an ultrasound done. These check for fluid levels and every third Thursday for growth. Babies of moms with GD have a higher chance to end up being larger than average if the mom's sugar is not managed well.

Julian is about 7 lbs now. He is trending to be right on track as a normal sized baby thank goodness. GD babies also have a higher morbidity rate in the last few weeks so this is the main reason for the induction. So, the drop dead date is Aug. 6th for induction and most likely the 7th for delivery.

We have hired a Doula this time around to assist us with a calmer, more relaxing birth experience. The C section last time was traumatic and chaotic to say the least so this time we are trying for a VBAC. (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) There are risks to a VBAC such as uterine rupture but there are also risks to a C section as well. Send good thoughts our way!!

In other news, Mira started preschool last week at Acorn Learning Center right here in San Ramon. She is thriving already although has had a couple of rough mornings. A little sad but ends up to have great days. She particularly loves water play days and eating the fun lunches that Daddy packs for her :)

The summer has been pretty mild this year so far and actually a bit chilly at times. (for us!!) We are now officially CA wimps. We have gotten to the zoo a few times and enjoyed several birthday parties and get-togethers with friends.

Mira is excited to welcome baby Julian into our family. We are all excited to meet him in person!

I hope to be able to post to this blog more often while I am home on leave. Sorry it's been so long!

Till next time...

F