The Growing Caldwell Family

I took a lot of care to prepare for Charlie’s birth.  I did some mental preparation by participating in Fear 2 Freedom and also taking the Birthing from Within class to help me be ready for this birth.  Physically I prepared by having chiropractic care throughout the pregnancy, resting more, and drinking a combination of herbal teas to strengthen me for birth.  I also knew more about what to do or not do for optimal fetal positioning.  I feel it all paid off and I am so glad I did it.  The journey didn’t unfold quite like any birth I have ever heard of, but it was exactly the birth that I wanted.   When I went for my appointment at 40 weeks and 6 days, I was anxious about starting labor.  I was anxious for Chubby’s well being and also for the possible interventions that would follow if labor didn’t start soon.  I saw Anjli that day and was prepared to ask her to strip my membranes to help start labor.  Anjli agreed to check ...

On Sunday the pills made from the dried and ground placenta were delivered.  As you can see, they look a lot like any other supplement type pill.  The instructions were to take 6 pills a day for 5 days, then 4 pills a day for the next 5 days, and 2 pills a day for the last 5 days.  It was recommended the you not just stop taking the pills, but step down the dosage.  The pills can also be helpful during times of transition like going back to work, so I will save some for that time as well. This birth was so different from my previous one that I think I will never know what really had an impact on me, but I have been feeling really good since the birth.

We were so excited for Sarah Graves to meet Charlie!  She had been waiting so long for her baby and we were just bursting to have her there at the hospital.   Sarah Graves has three prized possessions: her lovie, her binkie, and baby Kate.  She was so sweet to offer to share them with Charlie.  She has a very big heart.   She brought a present that she picked out for Charlie.  She was most excited to give him the pacis that she picked out and to show him the balloons she brought.     Charlie brought presents for her and she was quite excited to see paints for the bath and a Sesame Street play dough set!  Watching these two together is definitely going to be one of the highlights of being their parent.  I know they will have days where they fuss and fight all the time, but I think they will be one another's buddy and I am very excited for them to have that.  

I am still working on the birth story, but thought I would start posting some of the other goings on since Chubby made his entrance into the world. We expected to b at the hospital for just over 24 hours and were prepared to go home first thing Saturday morning.  About 1 a.m. on Saturday our nurse came in to check his billirubin levels for jaundice.  We went back to sleep until about 4:30 a.m. when the pediatric resident showed up asking about numbers of wet and poopy diapers.  At that point, I got up and decided to shower and start getting ready. When our new nurse came on shift at 7, she rushed in and made mention of the billirubin level being high and needing to do blood work.  I was a little confused because that was the first we had heard of it and at that point, I realized we might be there a while.  The first round of blood work came back a little high at 8.9, so they wanted to wait and check it again in a few hours.  Aaron had brought Sarah Graves...

We were expecting to go home early this morning, but a billirubin check done in the wee hours showed Charlie's levels were high. Lab work was ordered this morning and those levels were moderate, so we were told to wait here for a recheck late this afternoon. He looks a little yellow on his face, but not really all over. They suggested exposing his belly to the sun, so he has been basking in it this afternoon. We were really anxious to get him home to be with his sister. She is starting to miss the consistency in her life and has started to cry for Charlie. She spent a few hours here this morning with him and then mom took her home. She is IN LOVE with him! I am getting stir crazy being here. Thankfully, our nurse just came in with the good news that we can go home!

Charles Matthew Caldwell born in the water at 11:37 PM August 23 weighing 8 pounds 13 ounces and 21 inches long. Born on his Ma Maw's birthday. It was a long journey, but so worth it. We are exhausted and overjoyed. This little boy is such a precious gift.

Today at 40 weeks and 6 days I went back for another non stress test and to see the midwife.  Charlie did well on the non stress test showing no decelerations and a reactive heartbeat. I saw my favorite midwife, Anjli, today.  I went in with a lot of anxiety and she has a way of making it seem better.  My two big concerns were the placenta "giving out" and how that actually works and Charlie's size and what that might mean for delivery.   As for the placenta, it doesn't just stop one day.  It's a more gradual process, which is how they can monitor every few days and have me monitoring his movements at home and determine if he is doing well.  I guess the placenta starts to calcify over time and gradually stops providing nourishment to the baby.  If the baby is not getting enough nourishment, vital function for heart and brain are prioritized making things like fluid output from the kidneys slow down.  That's why the fluid level is also monitored t...

Here we are 4 days past the estimated due date.  It's hard not to feel a little anxious that he may never get here.  I'm really not physically uncomfortable, but I am growing anxious to get things underway and see him. Thursday, I went for acupuncture.  The acupuncture isn't painful and they use points in the hands, ankles, and lower back to try to stimulate the body to move everything downward.   That helped get things moving when we were waiting for Sarah Graves, so I had high expectations that the next day I would be in labor; no such luck.  I went into work as usual, but it is starting to wind down for me and it's hard to keep my mind off waiting for labor to start. I had one more idea that a pregnancy massage might help me relax and let my body get things going.  I called and they had an opening during lunch.  I enjoyed the relaxing experience and wish massage were something I could do all the time, but still nothing seems to be moving. We...

Today I went for some tests to make sure that Chubby is doing well and okay being past his date. Part of that included an ultrasound and a peak at his profile! They checked the fluid levels and there is plenty! You need a measure of 5 cm and I had 24 cm! The placenta looks good and Chubby had a reactive heart rate. His weight is estimated to be around 9 pounds, so he should live up to his nickname! They checked my blood pressure and it remains low, which might explain my persistent headache. I will need to go back on Monday to be sure his heart rate is reactive. We can only hope he is here before then! I am headed to acupuncture this evening and that helped get it going for SG, so we will see!

We went into the weekend hoping that Chubby might want to come a few days early.  We have pretty much everything in place for him and feel as ready as we will ever be.  Clearly, he didn't share the idea. We had a good day Saturday, but I could tell that Sarah Graves didn't feel quite like herself (a little more clingy and lethargic than usual) and she took a nap for over four hours!  Then, she woke during the night on Saturday night crying that her ear hurt.  We got her some Motrin and I laid down with her until she got back to sleep and she slept quite late on Sunday. Not knowing what the week would hold, I wanted to get her looked at by the pediatrician, but we didn't want to miss her last Little Gym class either.  We hurried to her pediatrician who has hours on Sunday, but they are by appointment only.  So, we headed to a minute clinic in hopes of getting in and out before gym class.  They were super-speedy and really nice to her.  She had ...

This is going to sound crazy and you will know that we are on the crunchy bandwagon for sure, but I think it makes a lot of sense - we are going to have the placenta encapsulated.  No, not encapsulated as a keepsake for Chubby to dig up on his 18th birthday, encapsulated as pills that I will take after the birth. I first read about placenta encapsulation before I was pregnant and thought it sounded a little gross.  The placenta is the tissue that develops inside the uterus to connect the umbilical cord to the baby.  It is rich in hormones, nutrients, and other minerals like iron.  Most mammals, even those very high on the food chain, eat their placenta and in some areas of the world women eat theirs after giving birth.  The idea of that is more than I can handle.  However, there is a process of cooking, drying, grinding, and placing the ground placenta in capsules that I could wrap my head around.  I take so many other supplements right now that one ...

Chubby and I had a check-up and we both seem to be doing well.  My blood pressure remains low and my measurements are on track.  Chubby's heart rate was between 145 and 150.  While trying to determine his position, the midwife got him all stirred up and he gave her a few swift moves!  His head is turned downward, but his body is going more diagonal than it is vertical.  His head is not engaged yet, which is okay for 32 weeks. My midwife wants me to make an effort to eat fewer carbs and sweets since my first glucose test was high.  I guess even though the long test came back normal, because the short test was high it indicates that I should be monitoring the sugar in my diet. We also discussed having me drink a combination of teas that are known to help strengthen the body going into labor, help the uterus contract during labor, and help with bleeding after birth.  Because I lost so much blood after Sarah Graves' birth we want to make efforts to reduc...

I haven't written as much about the preparations for this birth, probably because I know a lot more and I feel a little more at ease.  We have been doing some thinking about the care that we want for Chubby immediately following his birth.  There are several baby care activities that are standard procedure, but at the suggestion of Pam, our doula, we have been researching them and giving them some thought.  First, the erythromiocin eye drops - these are customary for all babies born in the U.S. because they protect against blindness due to bacterial STDs like chlamydia and gonorrhea that the mother may be carrying.  The eye drops make their eyes goopy, blur their vision for a while interfering with their bonding process, and sting a bit.  Because I tested negative (routine procedure at your first prenatal visit) for these STDs, I see no reason to put Chubby through that.  Second, baby's first bath - typically, a nurse bathes the baby soon after birth be...