One Week <3

Today marks 1 weeks since Melanie was born. I cannot believe how fast time is flying already. 

We had her 1 week check up today with a pediatrician in Orange City. The doc says that she looks great for being an early baby. There is no signs of jaundice and she is now up to 6 lbs 8 oz. When we left the hospital on Sunday she was weighing 6 lbs 6 oz, so she has gained 2 oz. we have to go back again next week just to check up on her weight. They measured her today too and she grew 1/2 and inch this last week!

I cannot believe how fast the time is flying with this little turkey. Today was the first day that we actually got any fuss out of her. She cried for about a half hour straight tonight, nothing we did was making her happy, and finally she just sacked out and has been sleeping perfectly fine ever sense. She has been such a super good baby from the beginning. She already sleeps through the night. Our schedule is feeding at 9pm, then she sleeps until 1 am, which is when we feed again, and then she sleeps until around 530. I am not going to complain about this routine! I enjoy my sleep at night! 

I have taken more then enough pictures for the baby book. It's hard to believe my phone has any storage room left on it... Haha. She's just TOO CUTE!! I have been pretty awful about posting way too many pictures on Facebook too... I apologize about that. I am one of those mothers than thinks she's gotta share every silly moment with everyone! 

But, baby and dad are both laying on either side of me, sacked out. My eyes are starting to get heavy also. I will be posting again soon about baby Melanie and any updates that occur! 

Operation Room and Delivery

Thursday afternoon I was prepped for surgery. I was admitted into the hospital at 2:30 and our c section was scheduled for 5.

Earlier in the morning the dr explained to us that my water must have ruptured and was slowly leaking, which was why we were doing a c section that day. When they hooked me up to the monitor around 3pm, the monitor actually was picking to slight contractions, which I couldn't feel at first. They informed the dr that I was in fact going into labor, and the dr rushed over a little bit earlier than 5 and we were actually in surgery by 445. 

Dr. Madison is the dr who preformed the surgery. It was a very humbling, easy, relaxed surgery from what I was expecting, and I was really happy that Dr. Madison would be delivering me since he had done my entire pre-natal care. Brad got to watch them delivery Mel, I laid back and "CHILLED" while they did all the word work. I have had 2 other major surgerys before, and both of them I was put under for. I neverrealized just how chilly the operating room really was. I was SO cold. Brad aat least got to wear his normal clothes, plus a plastic suit, into the operating room, so he stayed fairly comfortable. I, on the other hand, was sprawled out on a table with just a hospital gown on. My arms were tied to the table, and I couldn't move an inch, besides from my chin up.

Melanie was delivered fairly quickly, with some slight stubbornness on not wanting to come out since she was so far up in my ribs. One of the nurse actually said this was on of the highest carrying babies they have ever delivered, and they deliver a LOT of babies here. While they stitched me all back up, brad kept me informed on what was going on with Mel. Being "paralized" from the chest down was hard to deal with- all I wanted to do was stand up and go grab my baby girl... but  I was stuck, on the table, cut wide open. Brad, luckily, wasw able to stand by and watch everything that Mel did for the first few minutes of her life while I layed on the table and impatiently waited to hold her for myself.

Aftr the surger was over, they placed Mels naked, little red body on my chest and wheeled us out of the operating room into the recovery room. Here we had a few short visits from the Grandparents that were there at the time. My dad, Missy, Bill, Cathy, Catherine, and Cassie were all there and all got to meet Melanie right away. They then left to go get some supper and I recovered from surgery, and was wheeled up to our maternity room where we would stay for the weekend. As my spinal began to wear off, I started to feel some aches and pains from the surgery, but shortly after I was settled into our new room, the nurses got me on my pain med schedule and the pain slowly eased into nothing more than a slight "tenderness".

We had a lot of visitors while at the hospital, and it was nice to see how many people we have that prayed and wished us the best in our new lives together. Life is a lot different now than it was a year ago, when we came home from the hospital empty handed and burried Paige a few das later. It feels amazing to be the mama of the PERFECT baby. Brad and I were talking about how we wonder what Paige would have been like had she made it to term and was delivered like normal. I imagine Paige to have been a little bit of a spit fire baby because Mel is just SO easy. I alsmost wonder if Paige is looking over Mel telling her she needs to behave herself since mom and dad have been through so much. Who knows.

Anyways, I appologize to anyone who is friends with me on Facebook.... I have pretty much blown up your news feed the past 5 days, and I appologize if that continues. I just can't get over how gorgeous and perfect my baby girl is. I couldn't imagine her to be ANY other way. I gave my approval stamp a long time ago, when I accepted the fact that I was pregnant, again, with our rainbow baby. Well, she is the perfect rainbow baby, and I can't WAIT to experience mre of motherhood.

Our first night home (Sunday Night) went really well. She woke up 3x during the night to eat, and other than that, she slept the entire night. Last night was our 2nd night home. She got a sponge bath, filled her tummy, and went to bed around 9pm last night. She slept through the entire night besides waking up at midnight and 5:30 am to eat. I cannot believe she slept 5 1/2 hours straight in the middle of the night! My baby girl is amazing. She is doing so well, and I wouldn't trade anything about her for anything! Today is day 2 of being home. Right now Mel is sleeping nexzt to me in bed while I type this new post. I love watching her sleep and all the silly faces she pulls. I would love to know what she is dreaming about!

Anyways.

This mama is ready for a quick nap before baby is ready to eat again in a while. I'll try my best to keep up on blogging through the next few weeks to keep you updated on Mel and how she is doing.

Ta Ta For Now,

Roslyn

Melanie Rose Punt

Thursday, January 23rd at 5:04 pm, a 7lb, 19in, pink package was delivered to Brad and I.

What a blessing. 

Words absolutely cannot describe the love, joy, excitement, and hundreds of other emotions that filled the OR room the moment Melanie screamed for the first time. Everyone present knew about our past delivery of Paige, and they made Melanie's delivery that much more special for us. I cannot describe the emotion that overtook my paralyzed body the instant I saw that face for the first time. 

They always say that when you see your baby, it's love at first sight. Mine was love at first scream. I didn't get to see Mel right away as I was behind the blue tarp and she was being processes by the nursing staff-- but the moment that those lungs hailed out their first noises, my heart rate skyrocketed and my emotions overtook my tremoring body. 16 months of pregnancy, and my dream is here. Melanie Rose. My precious rainbow baby has arrived, and she has made her presence known. 

I cannot believe the amazing feeling that has overcome by body and the amazing feeling that motherhood has instilled upon my soul. There is this amazing peace that has become a very encouraging and comfortable feeling present among my life now. 

Thursday morning we went to the dr expecting to return home that evening, put a few more weeks of light duty work in, and prepare a little more each day as our due date crawled closer and closer. Brad and I joked about how we might get lucky and have a baby by the end of the day... Little did we know: that's exactly what God had planned. 

We had an ultrasound scheduled at 10:15 am. The ultrasound tec assured us that everything looked good with baby, but that the chord was in fact still around the neck and we probably would not be going through with the inversion that afternoon. Dr. McNamara wanted to visit with us and catch a few pictures himself before the official decision was made. He came in to the ultrasound room a while later and pointed out that the chord was around the neck and that my fluid was really low. The next words out of his mouth shook me to the core with excitement, fear, and stress.... The doc stated... "Today looks like a good day to have a baby!".... Gulp! Brad started grinning from ear to ear while I sat in awe, looking at the images on the screen of our little one and how, in a matter of hours, I would be holding her in my arms. 

We preceded to see dr. Madison shortly after that, and scheduled our c section for 5pm. 

The 2.5 hours between the end of our visit with Dr. Madison and when I was admitted into the hospital at 2:30 for preparation of the surgery took forever. I was absolutely famished from not eating that morning, and all I wanted was to eat. Even if I was allowed to, I probably wouldn't have eaten as I was that nervous about this c section. 

They prepped me for surgery, and we got in contact with a few family members so they could start spreading the word for us. Brad and I were so excited to know that our lives were about to change... A tiny little package, that would mean so much, was about to be delivered to us, and we were ecstatic! 

Well- it's late; mama is exhausted and Mel and daddy are both sleeping. I'll finish with the rest of our story tomorrow, after this mama gets some much needed sleep. 

Good night world, 

Love,

Brad, Roz, and baby Melanie 

36 Weeks and The "unknown"...

Today marks 36 weeks, 1 day. This leaves us 27 days until our due date.... FREAKY!!!

February 11 seems so far away, yet I can't believe that we have less than (+/- a few days) 4 weeks left! We are officially to the stage where we will be seeing Dr. Madison and Dr. Boyle (the specialist that we originally saw at the beginning of the pregnancy) every week.

We are still measuring according to where we should be at 36 weeks. The Dr. used the little pocket-ultrasound and confirmed that the baby is STILL breech, and the chord is STILL around the neck. NOT what I was wanting to hear today.... I was hoping to start some acupuncture next week with the Chiro to get baby girl to flip, but with the chord around the neck, it is suggested NOT to "force" her to flip, but to let nature take it's course.

This past week has been a total DRAG. I am SO exhausted, my feet are the size of footballs by 3pm, my hands, face, feet all swell like a sponge in warm water.... I can't get comfortable enough to sleep through the night, I PEE CONSTANTLY it seems like.... I am READY for this BABY to GET HERE! hahaha. I think just about every mama says that towards the end of their pregnancy. I know after delivery, I'll miss the pregnancy thing, but for right now, I'm pretty ready to meet this bundle of pink....

So: Whats the future looking like with delivery?..... can anyone answer that knowing the real truth?? Don't think so......

Next week Wednesday, at 37 weeks, we are scheduled for:
          1) Ultrasound to determine
                a) location of umbilical chord (around neck or un-wrapped and normal)
                b) if baby is still breech, or if she magically turned on her own
           2) Regular Dr. Visit to:
                a) discuss the ultrasound findings.....
                       i. if breech AND chord wrapped around neck: no inversion, scheduled c-section
                       ii. if breech and NO chord wrapped around neck: schedule inversion for 38 weeks with normal delivery an option as long as baby is stable during labor
                      iii. if NOT breech, but chord still around neck: scheduled c-section
                      iv. if NOT breech, and chord normal and NOT around neck: normal delivery an option as long as baby is stable during labor
              b) Discuss Scheduled C-Section: Would be scheduled sometime during the week of my due date
              c) Discuss Emergency C-Section: in case of labor onset before scheduled c-section IF normal
delivery is not an option
              d) Discuss Scheduling Inversion: what it consists of, what I need to do to prep, etc.
       3) Tour of the "Birth Place" which is where Brad and I will be staying during me and baby's hospital stay. The tour is so that we know where to go when we arrive at the hospital during labor/ when c-section is scheduled, to let us know where we will be staying, where baby girl will be held when at the "nursery", and other stuff like the cafeteria, etc.

The whole C-Section thing was a pretty big shock to me as I have been pretty skeptical to the idea since the beginning. C-Section is one of my biggest issues with delivery, and now that I'm looking at the big picture, I realize that this may be my only option. I'm pretty freaked out about the whole idea, but, am willing to do what is necessary to ensure baby girl is delivered safely. She is what matters right now, I was just hoping to have that normal delivery experience. Brad thinks C-section is the best route to go, but I am still scared to take on the physical limitations and pain of a surgery like this. I'm just worried about the "after effects" of a C-section more than a normal delivery. ... Maybe some moms out there who have experienced C-sections have words of advice for me to prevent this nervousness from overtaking me... but for now, I am still hoping that baby girl makes the decision to un-ravel herself from her chord, and to flip on her own so that normal delivery is still an option. I'll just keep hoping, and trusting this little one knows what she is doing... We will see next week Wednesday I guess...

Welp. It's bedtime here in the Punt household. Both dogs are already sacked at my feet, and I'm about 2 seconds away from passing out also. So, I'll post again next Wednesday after our 38 week appointment on our updated news about baby!
                 

1 Month.....!!! 31 days....

Alright ladies....

Baby Girl is just around the corner! The hospital bags are packed, the car seat is ready to go, newborn and 0-3 month clothes are all washed, hung up, and put away in the dresser.... The camera is charged and packed, birth plan filled out, I feel"prepared".... For now. 

So what's the point of this post...?? 

I'm curious.... And possibly looking for a few laughs. A lot of women feel like they don't want to overload a mom-to-be with advice and information.... Well, I'm asking for it. Below are a few subject ideas that I'm curious on, and am looking for "advice". So if you have any.... Feel free to leave a comment here, or on my shared Facebook post!! 

1) What's the best advice you can give me about taking home a newborn baby with dogs in the house. ... Or just general advice on taking home a newborn.... Lol 

2) what were your "signs and symptoms" of labor and how did you figure out it was "time" for the hospital? I'm kinda worried about the 1 hour drive to Sioux Falls!! Lol. 

3) Where and How did your water break? Lol. This is my biggest fear right now.... I don't wanna be stranded in the grocery store with a trail following me everywhere or something.... "Only at Wal-Mart" comes into mind.... 

4) Did anyone have "a Hunch" their little one was just around the corner? Like, had a gut feeling baby was closer than everyone else thought? 

Anyways. There are a few subjects that I feel "lost" on. So if there's any help out there... Share your secrets!! 

I return to the Dr on Wednesday, so we will see what he has to say about baby girl. I'm hoping baby girl waits another 10 days at least to arrive since daddy is currently on his way out to Denver for the 2014 National Stock Show... But.... WE WILL SEE!! :) 

35 Weeks

We had another check up last week with the doctor in Sioux Falls. Everything is well, for now. 

Baby girl is still in the breech position, which is keeping mom on her toes. I'm getting really annoyed with having a forehead in my bottom rib. Doctor Madison will check up on her position again next week Wednesday when I go in for our 36 week check up. If she is still in the breech position at 37 weeks, he will schedule me for an inversion on week 38. He said this is a painful and stressful procedure for me and the baby, and he really hopes that she decides to flip by herself before then. Well, she officially has 3 weeks to learn how to do a flip. If she doesn't, bad news for both of us. I would prefer to NOT have to endure an inversion!! 

I will not be able to deliver naturally if she doesn't stay in the correct position after she flips, wether that's via inversion or she decides to flip herself. If she returns to the breech position prior to labor, we will be undergoing a c-section. No thank you, baby girl!!! Let's quit acting like your father and get your stubborn butt in position!! Hehehe. 

I have been dealing with a huge lack of sleep lately, along with a lot of hip and back pain. I have been seeing the chiropractor religiously, every 2 weeks to keep my back aligned. Needless to say, it's not helping my hips. My job is very physical and I am on my feet all day, and I bed and twist a lot. I spend many nights in bed, aching. Warm showers help, but they don't erase the misery of laying in bed, throbbing. I have, however decreased from 12 hour days (all through the summer), and have weaned myself to a maximum of 6 hour days. I am getting better at realizing where my "done" point is am during the day, and relieve myself from work. 

It's really hard to believe that within the next 5ish weeks, our little girl will be here. It's hard to believe that we will be parents!!! I feel so unprepared, but excited and ready for the challenge at the same time. I know brad is pretty excited. He talks about it a lot. He is ready to be a daddy, and it's really cute to watch him talk about what he things the future holds. This past week I have been working on packing "hospital bags" for us all. It's really sinking in that, she's that close!! 

Anyways- I will update again next week about our doctor appointment that we have on Wednesday. I'm hoping baby flips by then, but who knows. If she's half as stubborn as her father, she will wait until last minute to do what mom asks!!