James Peyton has arrived!!!

This is a long post! I wanted to remember everything about the day James was born so this is more like a very long journal entry. But, I hope James can read it one day and know how excited we were to meet him for the first time!

James Peyton Gebhardt was born on Tuesday April 28, 2009 at 8:44 p.m. He weighed 8 lbs 6 oz and was 21 1/4 inches long. The last two days have been a whirlwind to say the least so I am just now updating the blog!

We checked into the hospital on Monday night April 27th. The doctor started me on Cervidil, which was the first part of induction. I didn't really respond at all to the Cervidil so at 5:00 a.m. the Cervidil was removed, I took a shower, and at 6:30 a.m. the nurse started me on Pitocin to start the contractions. I was on the Pitocin all day and although I was having contractions I was not making much progress. During this process James' heartbeat was being monitored the entire time and his heart rate was dipping down and spiking back up. The doctor was concerned and decided it was time for my epidural so she could attach an electrode to James to monitor his heart more closely and also put a different monitor in me to more accurately measure the contractions.

I have to say out of the whole process the epidural was what I was fearing the most. I have never liked needles and the thought of needles being stuck in my spine and a doctor numbing me from the waist down by inserting medicine into my spinal fluid terrified me. Even though I had always planned on having an epidural I started crying when the doctor said it was time for me to get it! I was that scared. My anesthesiologist was amazing! Yes the epidural did hurt but he talked me through the entire process and told me exactly what he was doing and what sensations I would be feeling. Mom and Sean were in the room but Sean couldn't really watch. They both did say I turned white as a ghost! After the epidural I was numb exactly where I was supposed to be but could still feel a little tingling in my legs and could still move them!

After the epidural the doctors and nurse were able to monitor James' heartbeat more closely and see exactly what was causing his heart rate to dip down. It turns out my contractions (which I couldn't feel at this point) were off the charts and had been for a while but the first method of monitoring wasn't exactly accurate with measuring the intensity. So as soon as they turned down my dose of Pitocin James was not stressed anymore. He was actually perfectly content and didn't want to drop down at all! After a few more hours I was still only dilated 2 cm and James was positioned so high that he was not dropping down. My doctor said since it was not an emergency we would wait a little while for an operating room to open up and go in for a c-section.

We went into the operating room around 8:15 p.m. and James was born at 8:44 p.m. The sound of him crying was indescribable and the most wonderful moment of my life. I will never forget it. Sean was holding my hand and we were looking into each others eyes then we heard James cry for the first time. Of course we both cried and then all I wanted to do was see him. Since it was a c-section a team from the NICU was in the room and had to check James out first. I sent Sean over with the camera to take pictures and then after they quickly determined James was perfectly healthy Sean brought him over to me. I just stared at him in awe. I might be a little biast but I think he is absolutely precious!

At the hospital

On our way to the hospital!

SO excited =)

Daddy-to-be

Lounging on the short couch

We arrived at the hospital and checked in around 5:00 p.m. We filled out paperwork, I got dressed in the lovely hospital gown, and then my nurse asked a long list of health history and pregnancy related questions. They immediately put a band around my belly that monitors James' heartbeat and my contractions. The doctor on duty examined me and then did an ultrasound just to make sure James is still head down. He is, but apparently he is still positioned very high. The lab tech drew my blood but I won't have an IV until the morning. I was given the Cervadil around 7:00 p.m. and the monitor says I am having contractions but I haven't felt anything yet. The nurse said I must have a high pain tolerance which is good! Not that I am going to try to be superwoman. I already signed the paperwork for an epidural when needed. The nurse will wake me up at 5:00 a.m. and remove the Cervadil, let me shower, then we will start the Pitocin! We are anticipating a long labor since James is positioned so high. I will try to update the blog tomorrow, depending on how I feel! So far, I feel great and we are really excited. Sean is spending the night on the couch next to me. He is 6' 4" but the couch is so little his legs hang off from the knees down and are propped up on the end table next to it. Poor thing, it cannot be comfortable. I am letting him watch basketball though since I watched Dancing With The Stars earlier! We are going to try to get some rest now and will update tomorrow.

Nursery

I have had several requests for nursery pictures, which I really have been meaning to post! I could not have done it on my own. Papa, my step-dad, was over at our house every day for a week. He took the wood paneling off of the accent wall, dry walled, re-textured, and painted it navy blue. Sean helped him by painting the remaining three walls white and then they both put the furniture together! Mom and I did the hard part of shopping and picking everything out. We also did a really good job pointing out where we wanted the furniture to go! ;-)

I have a lot more pictures of the work in progress but for now here is a Before, During, and After shot!

Before

Work in Progress

After
I absolutely love the curtains. There is another set of them on the other window that is not in the picture. In fact, I designed the entire nursery around them. The crib is also a lifestyle crib that converts to a toddler bed then a full size bed so the room will really grow with James. I still need to frame pictures and hang them on the walls. I also don't have any art yet. I didn't want to buy something just to buy something so when I find the right thing I will know!

5:00 p.m.

Dr. Matthews just called and we are checking into the hospital at 5:00 p.m. tonight!

Checking into hospital tonight!

Just a quick update. We went to our doctor's appointment this morning and we will be checking into the hospital tonight! We will be at Baylor, downtown. I don't know what time yet, someone will call later this afternoon to confirm, but Dr. Matthews said it will probably be sometime between 6-8p.m.

Tonight I will be given Cervidil to get my cervix ready. Cervidil is a slow release Prostaglandin, which contains a hormone similar to those produced naturally by your body which helps stimulate labor. Some women will go into labor with Cervidil alone or it is possible I will need something more, like Pitocin, on Tuesday morning to "really get things moving" as my doctor said. I have no idea how long labor will be but I am assuming all day at least. Dr. Matthews also said our baby boy is getting big! He is estimating at least 8 1/2 lbs. Yikes! Please keep us in your thoughts tomorrow and pray for a safe delivery. We will have our phones with us so feel free to text througout the day. We will send out an email when James arrives!

39 weeks....our little watermelon!

We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. and will know more after that. Tentatively the plan is to check into the hospital tomorrow night and I will be induced early Tuesday morning! Here is what babcenter.com says about how James is developing at 39 weeks:

How your baby's growing:
Your baby's waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

Also, my friend Leigh and her husband Stace welcomed a beautiful baby girl yesterday!!! We went to visit them at the hospital this afternoon and mom and baby were doing great. Our due dates were about a week apart. It has been so much fun being pregnant with Leigh at the same time and having someone else to talk to that is experiencing the exact same thing. Congratulations Leigh and Stace!!! Leigh, you looked amazing. I only hope to look half that good after labor and a long sleepless night!

I don't think I will be going into labor tonight so I will update again tomorrow after our doctor's appointment. :-)

Alli's Birthday!

Alli's birthday was on Monday and we went to Palomino's to celebrate then back to her house to play Rock Band. We had a great time! J.P. likes playing the drums although his mom needs a little more practice. Happy Birthday AMP!

Cheers to James (and my giant baby bump-almost 39 weeks!)

Birthday Girl & Ashley

Group picture of the Girls

Rock Band

38 week update

I went my weekly doctor's appointment on Monday the 20th and everything is still perfectly normal but nothing new to report. Our baby boy is still in position but no changes since last week. I think he is completely comfortable just hanging out. He is obviously in no hurry to make his appearance! We have another appointment scheduled at 9:15 a.m. on Monday the 27th and will be checking into the hospital that night to be induced on Tuesday morning the 28th! We will be at Baylor Hospital downtown and of course would love any visitors after James is born. Here is what babycenter.com says how James is developing at 38 weeks:

How your baby's growing:Your baby has really plumped up. He weighs about 6.8 pounds and he's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). He has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! His organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If he's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If he's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time he's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after he's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.

People have asked how I am feeling and if I am getting any sleep? I am still sleeping through the night, 8 hours if I can, and in general still feel really good. Sean has been so busy at work these past couple of weeks which is great. He will be taking a week off when James is born. I am finishing up my last week of school with my last day being on Friday the 24th! =)

We will of course send out a text or email if I go into labor before checking into the hospital on Monday night. Have a wonderful week!

Update

We went to the doctor yesterday and after my exam, and everything being normal, Dr. Matthews asked the nurse to bring in the ultrasound machine. This scared me for a minute because usually they don't do an ultrasound this late unless there is a problem. Dr. Matthews said he thought James was still positioned head down but wanted to be sure since he has not dropped yet. James is still in position but apparently is perfectly content just hanging out. In fact when we saw him he was asleep and sucking his thumb! The good news is if I do not go into labor in the next two weeks we are inducing at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday April 28th! My original due date was May 1st but at every ultrasound, including the 4D at 32 weeks James measured a week to a little over a week ahead developmentally. So on April 28th developmentally he will be 41 weeks and ready. The longest possible time we have left is two weeks from today. We are so excited!

37 weeks...James is full term!

We had a doctor's appointment on Monday the 6th. Dr. Matthews said everything looks good, baby is still in position, but no news to report yet! We will go back on Monday the 13th and I will update if there are any changes. Here is what babycenter.com says about how James is developing at 37 weeks:

How your baby's growing: Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

From the 4D ultrasound we know that James does have a full head of hair! I only assume it will be dark brown but you never know. I guess we will find out soon! Sean's mom is coming in town to visit this weekend and will be picking up Simon on the way. We will miss Ellie but unfortunately she has to stay home since she has been sick.

We don't expect anything to happen in the next few days but of course we will be calling/texting/emailing if there is any BIG news. Have a wonderful weekend and a Happy Easter!

Dave & Busters

We went to Dave & Busters last weekend to celebrate Ben Parkey's 30th Birthday. Here are a few pictures from Alli's camera (I love Snapfish) from that evening. I posted the last one because I think it is so funny to not only see myself 9 months prego from across the room but I have a piece of the cookie cake in my hand. Ha!

The Girls

Tiff, Sean, Mere, & David


Action Shot

36 week update

I can't believe I am 9 months pregnant! Just a few more weeks to go. We will know more on Monday after our doctor's appointment. Here is what babycenter.com says about how James is developing at 36 weeks:

How your baby's growing: Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. He's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected his skin during his nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement. At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely he's in a head-down position. But if he isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating him from the outside of your belly.

James is still positioned head down so all we are doing now is waiting for his arrival! I will write again after our doctor's appointment on Monday. We will be busy this weekend putting the finishing touches on the nursery so hopefully I can post those pictures soon.