Delivery Day!

I fortunately had a great experience with Maddie's delivery.  Since I was being induced, we started calling the hospital at 5am on March 19th.  They were having a really busy day, plus were short on staff, so we didn't get the call to go up there until 12:30 that afternoon.

My mom was in town to watch Layla while we were at the hospital.  When we received the call that they were ready for us, I really thought I was going to lose it.  As most people with their second child, one of my biggest concerns was Layla - how she was going to react, what was going to change...I had such mixed feelings.  Of course, I was excited about a new baby, but at the same time I was sad that it wasn't going to just be us anymore.  I tried not to dwell on those fears - instead, we just loved on Layla, explained that we were going to go to the doctor to get Maddie out of my tummy, and away we went! 

Once we got to the hospital, we got set up pretty quickly.  I was lucky and got another AWESOME L&D nurse - she made the whole experience so great.  In addition to the other issues, apparently the computer system at the hospital was down that day, so my nurse had to stay in the room the whole time instead of monitoring me from the main station.  So there was plenty of chit chat, which was fun and really helped to keep my mind off of the contractions!

I received the pitocin at 1:45.  The contractions really weren't bad at that point - nothing I hadn't already been experiencing that week, just closer together.  However, my doctor wanted them even closer before giving me the epidural.  She said if we really wanted to get things going, we needed to break my water.  I was NOT excited about that at all but wanted to get the show on the road, so we went ahead.  Yeah.  Literally 30 seconds after that fun little activity, my contractions went crazy!  They were coming every minute or so and were so strong!  I immediately wanted the epidural at that point.  Luckily, since I was already progressed so far before coming in for the induction, I was able to get it right away and didn't have to labor too much without the meds!  I was so happy to see the anesthesiologist, my hero :)

Once the epidural kicked in, it was smooth sailing.  After just a little while, my nurse said that the baby's heart rate was dropping with contractions, checked me, and said we needed to get set for delivery.  Again, I was fortunate that my actual OB could deliver me.  So she came in, they gave me a bit of oxygen, and after just a minute, Madeline Nicole Banker was born at 5:55!  It was a four hour induction start to finish, not bad!

Maddie was a teeny little thing, she was 6 lbs 5oz, and 19 inches long.  But she had a great set of lungs and was just perfect, so cute!  They got her all cleaned up and brought her over, and we had some great family time before the visits started.

When I had Layla, the first thing I said when they handed her to me was "You look like your Daddy!"  She was seriously a mini-Nick.  With Maddie, not so much.  I don't think she really looks like anyone at this point, but if I had to choose, I think she is taking more after my side of the family.  She has the lighter features (hair, eyebrows and lashes), long fingers and toes, and the frowny forehead! 

Here are newborn pics of the girls.  I don't think they look anything alike! 

Layla

Maddie

We actually had the option of leaving the hospital after only one night, which I absolutely wanted to do.  I was ready to get home and let Layla meet her new sister!

Layla was so excited to see us and meet Maddie.  She has been an angel, showing nothing but love and affection to the baby.  She just wants to hold her, give her kisses, and help with her all day, it is so cute!  Here are a few pictures of the girls:

First time to hold Maddie!

Please excuse Layla's hair and Maddie's nostrils!

Tummy Time!

We are having a wonderful time as a new family of four and are thankful every day for our two healthy, beautiful little girls!

My Pregnancy with Maddie

Well, my pregnancy was definitely different this time around! It's funny, because for such a little thing, Maddie gave me so much more trouble than Layla did!

We were so excited to find out I was expecting again.  Layla had her "I'm a Big Sister" book memorized, and we couldn't wait to start planning out everything for the second baby!  As soon as we saw the ultrasound, I knew it was another girl.  I was really excited for Layla to grow up with a sister, she is such a little mommy and I know her and Maddie will have such a great time together.

Unfortunately, this pregnancy was not fun.  My entire first trimester was comprised of cramping and thirst, and second and third were basically just a whole lot of pain.  By the time I was ready to deliver, I could barely even walk because my hips were hurting so badly. 

The scariest thing happened about a week before I delivered.  At my 37 week appointment, my doctor told me that my stomach had not grown since the week before.  This can indicate low fluid, so she said that we would give it another week and then, if still no change, go in for some testing.  She also made it very clear that if there were any changes in the baby's movements, to let her know.

So, of course, Maddie's movements slowed down over that next week.  Up until that point, she was constantly kicking and moving, so much so that I never had any concerns.  Then all of a sudden, that significantly slowed.  She passed all of her kick counts, but it was definitely not her normal pattern.

So, at my 38 week appointment, I let my doctor know.  She told me that the best way they have to monitor the baby is her movements, and since they had slowed, wanted to send me to the hospital for some non-stress testing and an ultrasound to make sure everything was OK.  So off I went, freaking out, and proceeded to spend the entire day hooked up to monitors and waiting for results.  I was already having contractions at that point. The baby passed the monitoring fine, so I went over to get my ultrasound and that's when it got a bit scary for me!

For the type of testing they were doing, there are four items that the baby needs to pass in the ultrasound - movement, fluid, heartbeat, and breathing.

So the tech comes in, explains what she'll be doing, and starts the ultrasound.  Maddie passed the movement and heartbeat off the bat.  As far as breathing goes, they want to see the baby "practice" breathing (expand and contract their lungs) for 30 consecutive seconds in a 30 minute period.  Well, Maddie was just not going to do it.  The tech did everything she could think of to get Maddie to move - I drank juice, walked around, etc. but nothing worked.  So, she told me she was going to have to fail her on that part.  Basically, they really can't tell anything about the baby's lung development until they are born, but no practice breathing could be an indicator of underdeveloped lungs.  Then, the tech throws in that the fluid looks low as well.  So she was going to fail Maddie on half of the tests!  She then told me that the actual radiologist had to come in to validate her findings and left to go get him.  So there I was, on the table by myself, crying, calling Nick and scaring the heck out of him with what she had told me.

Then the radiologist came in and did his own exam.  And wouldn't you know it, right off the bat, there it is - Maddie breathing consistently, clear as day.  Then he tells me my fluid is fine as well!  I was confused and frustrated at that point - how could two people see such different results?  But the radiologist was the actual MD that specialized in these ultrasounds, so since he passed Maddie, that was the official result.  It was a terrible, confusing day and I was definitely uneasy about the whole thing.  I know it was nothing compared to what some people have gone though with pregnancy, but it definitely scared me.

So, I spoke with my doctor again, who was happy to hear that she passed.  However, she said that considering everything - the slowed movements, my pain, and the fact that I was already dilated and having contractions, it sounded like it was just time for Maddie to make her arrival.  Although an induction scared me, I agreed with her - I just wanted to make sure she was OK!  Being able to walk again sounded good as well :)

I'll do a separate delivery post soon! 

Well, Hello There!

So...it's obviously been over a year since I've posted anything...just wanted to put that out there!  I don't really have a reason other than I'm a total slacker when it comes to social media.  However, I'm determined to keep up with the blog this time around!

Let's see, so much has happened over the past year!  As far as Nick and I go, things have been wonderful with our family.  We've had lots of great changes take place in our lives and feel very blessed.  The biggest item on our plate right now is building a house!  We purchased a 2.5 acre lot in a neighborhood in Richmond and are in the process of building.  It's been interesting and stressful, but fun as well.  We went with a custom home, which means lots of decisions on the smallest details.  It's exciting though - I know it will be worth it when it's all said and done and we have the exact house we want!

Layla has been the light of our lives!  Every day she makes me laugh with something new that she cooks up.  I enrolled her in Mothers Day Out twice a week, and she LOVES it.  She's always been a pretty social kid, and going to "school" has only made that more apparent.  She loves being with her friends and teachers, and comes home each week with new stories and songs to show off.  Here are a couple of pictures that pretty much highlight her personality at this point (sorry for the quality, they are from my phone):

Our biggest and most exciting news is the arrival of Madeline Nicole Banker on March 19th, 2013!  She's such a little pumpkin pie and we have been having a blast with her.  She is a very easy going baby, loves to snuggle, and would prefer to be held 24/7 if possible!

Layla loves her little sister.  Every morning, the first thing she asks is "Where's Maddie?"  She is such a great helper, going to grab diapers, burp cloths, whatever I need.  She loves to talk and sing to the baby, and gets very concerned when she cries and makes sure to let me know that I need to "go get Maddie, she's upset!"

I'll be doing another post soon with all of the details of the baby and more pictures, so stay tuned!  I promise it won't be a year from now...