Alyss's First Doctor's Visit at 2.5 Weeks

For Alyss's' first doctor's appointment we went to Dr. Tayler. The visit was pretty short and he said that Alyss is healthy but he had a couple of concerns. First, she only weighed 7.11lb, only 2 oz over her birth weight so Dr. Tayler suggested that I should try pumping more to make more milk or supplement with some formula. I've done more of the pumping and a bit of supplementing and hopefully she's gaining more weight. We'll recheck her weight at 3.5 weeks. Another concern he had was that he felt a click in her left hip so he sent us to the Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake to have an ultrasound. The ultrasound did show that her hip bones are shallow and underdeveloped (this is called hip dysplasia and apparently is pretty common) and the doctor said that we might need another ultrasound in a couple of weeks to see how things progresses and we might also need to see a Pediatric Orthopedist who might put Alyss in a sling for a couple of months. Dr. Tayler said that it doesn't look like she needs surgery but he does want her to be seen by an Orthopedist as soon as possible to take care of this problem. The rest of the visit went well but I was pretty shaken up by Alyss's loud cries when the nurse drew blood from her heel for the mandatory test that checks for some genetic diseases.
I've been feeling some weird feelings after this visit. With Jane everything went so well and smooth and she had no health problems. This time, even in the hospital the ear doctor was concerned after the first exam and wanted to recheck her hearing. Fortunately it all turned out ok and she has no problems but it already scared me a little. Now, it seems that Alyss needs to be put in a special sling to keep her hips in the right position so that they develop correctly. It really scares and saddens me and I've been thinking how hard it must be for parents of really sick children to see them suffer. I felt really sad and anxious when the nurse drew her blood or when the ultrasound tech pushed on her hips to get the pictures. Doctors and nurses seem so heartless. They all do their job and had to act as if they don't care that the baby is in pain and scared but I just have such a hard time watching them and not being able to help Alyss in any way, just try my best to comfort her. I really hope that Alyss will turn out healthy and okay and that both her and Jane will grow healthy and happy.

So tiny 

In her bear suit

I'm the big sister

Little sister

My baby and I

My other baby and I

New Baby in our House

Well, when we decided to have our babies close to each other in age we thought that even though it would be hard having little ones at the same time, it wouldn't be impossible to deal with. The first couple of days after Alyss and I came home from the hospital seemed to try to prove the exact opposite. The first day, Monday I asked David to stay home and help me even though my mom was here and very willing to help. I needed him to be with me and to help me go through the baby blues, the pain from giving birth and having an episiotomy and really swollen hemorrhoids and the huge adjustment that having a toddler and a new baby might've required. So, even though that day wasn't the best day of my life, it wasn't too bad either.

The next day though David went to work and possibly the hardest day of my life was just about to begin. Jane woke up crying and never stopped throughout the day. Alyss was being as good as a newborn can be, just fussing whenever she needed to eat, but because of the extra tension and Jane's crying she decided that she should be crying as well. On top of this craziness I was in really bad pain. The episiotomy hurt, my bottom hurt, I had cramps, my breasts started making milk and were heavy and painful, my nipples were sore from breastfeeding and I was pretty constipated and really needed to get some relief. Well, It took me almost all day to find the relief I needed while having Jane with me in the bathroom crying and throwing tantrums, holding unto me wherever I went and screaming uncontrollably every time I held Alyss to feed her or to change her diaper. Never thought that Jane was going to have such a hard time accepting Alyss  but she seemed to feel really lonely and abandoned. I kept crying and feeling so sad for her. I wanted to reassure her that I still loved her. I kept telling her that but she didn't seem to hear me. I thought that she really hated me for bringing Alyss home.

At the end of the day when David came home I was such a mess that I burst into tears and couldn't stop for a long while. I felt that things were never going to get better, that I was going crazy and that I just wanted to go to sleep and wake up realizing that all of it was just a nightmare.

Since then, things have changed quite a bit. Jane is now more accepting of Alyss. She pats her head sometimes and gives her the binky. In the beginning she wouldn't let Alyss close to her, she wanted to sleep on top of her when we put Alyss in bed with us, and she even tried hitting her a few times.
Things are still crazy and I still feel sometimes that I reached my limits but I love these two so much and I really want them to be happy. I sometimes feel sad that I don't get to spend as much time with Jane as I used to and that I can't give Alyss as much attention as I gave Jane when she was a newborn. I believe now that I can deal with this new situation, even though it isn't going to be easy and I really hope that I will be able to manage my time well and also be able to enjoy life and the excitement of having two beautiful and sweet baby girls.

The Perfect Birth Experience - Alyss Lucy Johansen

Alyss Lucy Johansen

Holding Alyss for the first time

Daddy introducing Alyss to Jane

During the third trimester I've been really contemplating the idea to VBAC and started going to a clinic (Valley OB) in Provo to get ready to deliver at the Utah Valley Medical Center.
So, after a great second pregnancy the time has come to give birth to our baby daughter. My desire to VBAC was taken into account and when we went to the doctor for the 39w2d appointment, he decided to strip my membranes (ouch, that really hurt) to hopefully start labor early. He also suggested that we should be induced before 40 weeks to keep the baby small and hopefully easier to deliver vaginally. The induction was set for Friday, Feb 17th. I did get some more bloody show and some contractions but they were irregular and didn't really start labor.

We showed up at the hospital at 7am and sat around for a couple of hours before the doctor came and broke my water. I was having some contractions on my own before he broke my water but they were not strong or regular so I was given oxytocin to help with the contractions and the dilation. After I was given the oxytocin and my water was broken I started getting stronger and more painful contractions to the point where after about two hours I asked for some pain medicine. I was given a narcotic that took the edge off the pain and helped me get through contractions easier. However, even with the narcotic, after another hour I felt that I really needed the epidural, which was administered around 11am. It felt really good when the epidural started working and I could relax a bit and get some rest. At this point I was 6 cm dilated. Since I was pretty sleepy I tried to sleep a little but after about another 30 minutes the doctor came to check up on me and announced that I was dilated to 10 cm and it was time to take me off the epidural and have me start pushing. Both David and myself were really surprised that I progressed so quickly (it took 10 hours for me to get to 10 cm the first time). So, we started pushing (I was at stage 0 at that time) and immediately the baby's head started showing. After pushing for about 20 minutes and needing an episiotomy (thank goodness that I was numbed up and didn't need any other shots for that) Alyss Lucy Johansen was born and David got to cut her umbilical cord. The entire birth took 3 hours and 50 minutes!

Alyss weighted 7lb 10oz and was 19in long. After the nurses cleaned her up a little bit and put some drops in her eyes they brought her to me and put her on my chest. I was so happy that I was able to deliver her vaginally and that she was so beautiful, healthy and perfect. They took her away to get her really cleaned up and run other tests and I was left with the doctor to finish sewing up my incision. After I was moved to another room to recover Alyss was brought to me and I nursed her. Even though my belly was hurting and my episiotomy started to hurt as well whenever I held Alyss I felt better and forgot of all the pain. We stayed in the hospital for 2 days and went home on Sunday.

From start to end this pregnancy and birth were exactly as I always dreamed. I don't feel sad or unaccomplished when I think back at Jane's C-section birth but I'm very happy that I was able to experience a natural birth and was awake and alert when Alyss came into this world.
We love you very much little Alyss and are very happy and so excited that you joined our family.

Exciting News

These last few weeks we had a lot of news and stuff happening. I'll post it in chronological order, going backwards from today on.
Feb 11 - We signed the contract and will be moving into our apartment tomorrow! I also lost the mucous plug once again :)
Feb 9 - Jane had her 15 months shots. FOUR of them!!! She cried when she got them but calmed down quickly and walked out of the clinic holding my hand and smiling. Next round of shots is at 24 months. Phew. No more shots for her for a while. We'll start with Alyss soon. I had another chiropractor's appointment and it felt great to have my back cracked and massaged. I also had a dentist appointment and everything looks good. All I need is a good cleaning, which I'm already scheduled for in a couple of weeks.
Feb 8 - My Mom arrived here safely. Had another dr. appointment and I'm measuring 38 cm at 38 weeks. Baby still hasn't descended. I'm dilated to almost 2 cm.
Feb 6 - Jane walked by herself for the first time!!!!!!
Feb 5 - I lost the mucous plug. Maybe Alyss is going to be here earlier than we think :) Also, had fun watching the Super Bowl and eating ribs, chips and dips, crackers and cheese.
Feb 1 - We turned in our tax return and we also decided to move back into Springville. Same building, different apartment. We're so excited to have our own place again.
Jan 31 - We found out that my Mom's loan got approved and helped her get her ticket. She'll get here on the 8th!
Jan 28 - Eni organized a baby shower for me at Lia's house. Cloey, Gabi and Serena came too. It was fun.

Jane walking - Feb 6 

My Baby Shower

Doctors and Stats

During the past few weeks both Jane and I had a few doctors appointments. For me mostly to check that the pregnancy and Alyss are progressing well. I'm happy to report that things are great with both of us. At this last appointment I was 37 weeks and 2 days along, blood pressure good, tested positive for B-strep but I kind of expected that since I was positive last time too, baby's heart rate was 140 and my bump measured 36.5cm. I'm happy that so far Alyss seems to be on track and hopefully a bit smaller than Jane. It gives me hope that the VBAC might be successful. ANd, speaking of VBAC, it's official. I transferred to the Valley OB clinic in Provo and will attempt VBAC at the Utah Valley Medical Center. The doctor I saw last time wasn't my favorite (the clinic has a few doctors and any of them could be at the hospital when I deliver - I kind of hope it's not this one). I asked questions and proposed several things and he pretty much turned me down on every single one of them. I asked for a walking epidural because I'd like to be able to move more during labor to hopefully help things along and he was like, there's no evidence that would work. Asked about stitches vs. staples and he said that staples it is cause it's better and it's probably my genes that don't help make the scar pretty. He also said that even though I'm dilated to almost 2cm and 60% effaced it's no guarantee that the baby will descend this time and we might want to know that before labor. He seemed to not be very hopeful even though he said that things look ok. The pelvic exam wasn't very pleasant and I bled a bit and had painful contractions afterwards but again, they said that this is normal at this stage. I'm not complaining but I kind of hoped that the doctor would be a bit more supportive of my attempt to have a VBAC. After all this is the main reason why I'm not having a C-section with Dr. Tayler who is an excellent doctor and very kind and friendly. I hope that at the hospital I will be encouraged and not rushed into any decisions unless necessary.
I had two other appointments: one with the optometrist, who said I have astigmatism and gave me what he called "an interesting glasses prescription" and one with a chiropractor who massaged my back, popped it and my neck and tried to put my pelvis into place. Apparently my pelvis is a bit misaligned and this is why I'm having so much pain. I'll have to go back cause I'm still hurting but I'm at least happy that he was able to check what's going on and work on me a little bit. Jane cried a lot while the doctor was working on me because she is very protective of me so the experience wasn't the best because I could tell that the doctor was flustered even though he tried hard not to show it.
Jane had a couple appointments herself. She went to the dentist for the first time and the doctor said that her teeth look great and that she will soon get one more incisive and four premolars. No sign of canines yet :). He advised me to brush her teeth at night and to not let her sleep with the bottle, which we've never done anyway. The other appointment she had was her 15 months well-child check-up. She screamed when the doctor touched her. For some reason she is really afraid of doctors. I'm pretty nervous about next week when she'll get her 15 months shots but we'll have to do it. Anyway, she is 32in long (92%) and 24lbs (75%). The doctor said that she looks great and is right on track.
So, now we're getting ready for Alyss to show up and before then I'll go to the chiropractor at least once more and also to the dentist. Thank goodness for MedicAid who pays for all this.
Here are a few more recent pictures.

37 Weeks

Cute Jane

34 Weeks Already?!?!?!

That's right. Believe it or not, I'm 34 weeks along. Only a few more weeks and Alyss will be here. Who knows, she might come a bit early. I wouldn't mind as long as she's healthy.

The last doctor's appointment went well, just like all the others. My blood pressure was good, urine good, measured 34cm and baby's heart rate was 148, also good. We've been discussing with the doctor what options do I have concerning the birth and after this last visit I really started thinking seriously if I want to try VBAC (vaginal birth after C-section) or a C-section again. We already have the C/S scheduled for the 15th of February (due date is the 20th) but I really felt recently that I'd like to try VBAC. The doctor isn't opposed to it but he said that he would need to refer me to a doctor in Provo or Salt Lake so that I could give birth at a big and well-equipped hospital, in case of an emergency and the necessity of a C/S. I've done some research and it seems that VBAC is totally possible and it can be successful but there is a chance for the baby to not get enough oxygen or for a uterine rupture. The main reason why I'm still considering the C/S is because with Jane I tried to deliver vaginally but, even though I dilated to 10cm she never descended and her heart rate was not very stable. I fear that it might happen again so I've decided to not get an epidural for as long as I can manage, and to walk around, not just lay in bed. I might even consider to get in the tub at some point. I remember that last time, even though the contractions hurt I felt better when I would stand and walk than when I stayed in bed and I got horrible back pain. I also hope that walking and standing will help the baby position herself and descend and also will help me dilate without the use of pitocin. They will not give me pitocin because it creates violent contractions, which could be dangerous for my previous incision. So, I feel good about trying VBAC and I really hope that I will be able to do it and not have to take tons of medications and endure the pain and recovery after a C/S. I want to be able to take care of my babies afterwards, with David working a lot and me being at home with both of them. We'll let the doctor know of the decission next week, at the next appointment, when I'll also ask him to check that Alyss is head down and getting ready to make her appearance into the world. I've been having Braxton Hicks contractions on and off and I feel pressure in my pelvis so I know that my body is getting ready for the big event. I also get occasional back pain and the aches in my pelvis, all the way around are pretty bad, especially after I go on walks but, just like last time, I plan on walking all the way until the last day. It makes me happy and I know it's good for me and the baby, plus Jane really enjoys our walks as well. Can't wait for Alyss to get here, to see her and hold her close. I'm nervous about what it's going to be like and how Jane will react but I'm also excited to have another little girl and the chance to be the Mommy of a newborn once more. I love being pregnant and I love babies and am happy that David is always by my side, supports me, comes to all the appointments and is just as excited about our baby girls as I am.