Surfer Girl?

We gave Eli her first bath yesterday (sponge bath since the cord hasn't fallen off yet). She didn't fuss at all.






Since the water didn't bother her, maybe that means we'll be able to get her surfing at a young age.

Great Shots Mom!

Sabina couldn't take it because Eli looked so cute. So, she took these pix.

And How Did The Doc Say Eli Is Doing?

Here's a photo of Dr. Jernigan squeezing Eli's head into shape. Just kidding.

Well, after a week, babies are supposed to be back up to their discharge weight (for Eli, it was 5 pounds 9 ounces) and after two weeks they should be up to their birth weight (for Eli, it was 5 pounds 15 ounces). Today she weighed 5 pounds 13 ounces. Dr. Jernigan asked how often Eli was eating and we told her it was about every two hours. She told us we could go to about every 3 hours and try to get a 4 hour stretch in there once a day.

Eli's head was a half inch bigger than it was in the hospital as it continues to mold into a more rounded shape. She was also a half inch longer (19.5) than she was in the hospital.

Everything checked out very well and we'll be taking her back next week for a weight check.

First Time To The Pediatrician

Ok, so you'll probably get tired of all the "firsts", but hey, it IS a first. At the pediatrician's office, they put us back in the newborn waiting area so we wouldn't have to tolerate all those old kids.

Eli's First Time To Small Group

We got started early showing Eli the importance of being in community by taking her to our weekly church small group last night. It was her first trip out of the house and she pretty much just slept the whole time.

Thanks To Brian & Eileen Yee!

Thanks to the Yees for letting us borrow their bouncy seat. Now we don't have to put Eli on the floor while we're eating.

White Is Gold

The night before last, Eli just wasn't sleeping when we put her down. So I found myself up at 4am looking through some books trying to figure out how to get her to sleep. She was fed and swaddled so I couldn't figure it out. Then I read about white noise which emulates the sounds she heard in the womb.

So the next time we put her to bed, I plugged in my electric razor and put it on the floor next to where we were hoping she would soon be asleep. Well, that time didn't work because we found out she was hungry and cold. After the next feeding however, we made sure she was warm and put her down again with the razor running in the background. Worked like a charm and she slept all the way until her next feeding.

As a result, last night I went to Bed Bath & Beyond and got a sound machine for white noise. We put that by her bed and she has slept after every single feeding. Both Sabina and I actually got to sleep last night! White noise is gold!

It Just Stuck

Grandma said that when she was walking through Babies-R-Us, this outfit just jumped out and stuck to her. So she brought it home for Eli.

Breastfeeding Must Be Hard

All I did was sit in the same position as Sabina when she's feeding Eli and I was out!

Eli Burps Herself

When Sabina goes to burp Eli during mealtime, she almost immediately drops into this position. Then, when Sabina holds her up, she burps.

Mommy can't even stand it because it's so cute.

The One-Armed Hold

Grandpa has a unique way of holding Eli. She rests her head on his belly. So, not only is she rocked back and forth in the glider, but her head goes up and down with Grandpa's breathing as well. How serene....

Do You See An Old Woman Or A Young Woman?

So, remember when I told you that there's an 'E' shape in Eli's ear? Well, here, check it out. Do you see the 'E'? Or do you see an old woman, or a young woman, or a butterfly?

All You Can Eat

Milk has arrived and is so much more satisfying than colostrum. Here's what one satisfied customer looks like after her first milk meal.

Easy Sell

Well it sure wasn't hard to get Grandma and Grandpa to watch Eli for a while. When they left to go home Grandma said that if she didn't have to go home and go to class, we'd have to be kicking her out.

I'm sure that if she was able to stay as long as she wanted, we would eventually be kicking her out...right about the time Eli leaves to go to college.

Grandma loaded up Mom and Dad with a bunch of scrumptous home-cooked food to eat and both the grandparents got a lot of stuff done around home to help the new parents.

Home At Last!

I can't believe Northside actually let us take a baby out of there and come home with it. Eli was just born 2 days ago! What makes them think we're qualified to care for her?

Oh yeah, Sabina reminded me that we were trained by Diane. She told us, "You really can't hurt a baby, other than sitting on it." Words of wisdom.

Anyway, we were sooooo excited to be home with Eliana! She seemed to feel pretty comfortable too, as she nursed for the longest time yet from the comfort of her new home.

Request Denied

So, my request for an ocean front room was denied. Instead, this was our view.

How Far Is It Home Anyway?

This is a great point in the blog to insert some useless trivia. It is 3.3 miles from our apartment to the hospital. So, it makes perfect sense that to take your very first child that far, you've got to pack as many rolled up blankets as possible in the carseat.

No, seriously, we learned in our car seat safety class to add those if the baby is small.

Ok, the original of this photo really is right side up. But, I only slept about 4.5 seconds last night so I'm not going to try to fix it right now.

Fun With Macro

Put your camera on the setting with a picture of a flower and you can get cool closeups like this! Be sure to turn off the flash to avoid spontaneous combustion.

Huh?

We thought we were informed about everyone who would be coming to check, test, prod, poke, and stick Eli while we were in the hospital. But, there was yet another one Saturday morning as the audiologist came to check out her ears. By the way, the shape of the inside of Eli's ears are in the shape of an 'E'. I'm not even kidding.

Anyway, the test was basically like an ultrasound of the inside of the ear. They just make sure that everything bounces around correctly inside there. Both ears passed!

Get Ready For THE Picture

So, of course the hospital sends somebody around to take a nice picture of your baby. First of all, Sabina and I had bought two outfits. I picked out a boy's outfit and Sabina found 6 girl's outfits she liked. We ended up selecting one of them. Well, even though they were newborn outfits, Eli had gone down to 5 pounds 9 ounces by Friday night so they were definitely too big.

Fortunately, the hospital had a gift shop. Imagine that! Teresa and I looked through the premie section and found this outfit for her first "formal" picture.

As you can see, she's pretty stinkin' fired up about it. But, c'mon, that's a pretty cute outfit.

Grandpa & Grandma Arrive!

After driving four hours from North Carolina, my parents arrived just in time to see Eli for about 4 seconds and then we kicked them out. No, I'm serious. We felt sooooo bad, but Diane just got done telling us that we HAD to feed Eli frequently to keep her from getting jaundice. It had already been over three hours so she really needed to eat.

I guess we didn't make them too mad because they still came back later with presents. Bonus.

Wisdom And Experience

Next, our friend Aria came to visit. She and her husband Josh are pregnant with their fourth child. They're in our church small group so we'll have the opportunity each week to learn from their wisdom and experience.

What The Kevin!?!?!?

So my brother blows us out of the water by walking in our room at 1 pm. Complete surprise! Especially since he lives 8.5 hours away (or 7 when he's driving to visit his new niece).

First Visitor!

Wendy Austin won the prize for being the very first person to come visit Eliana Grace. No doubt she will enjoy her year long subscription to the jelly of the month club for coming in first place.

Marsupial Mommy

In it's natural habitat, the human female has been known to adapt and take on the innate behaviors of marsupials.

Eli's First Visit With Pediatrician

Eliana got checked by one of the docs from Dunwoody Pediatrics where we'll be taking her. Absolutely everything checked out well so I guess we're doing ok so far.

Hmm, Need To Get Some FSU Stuff

Mom's got a head start on the brainwashing by using the Georgia Tech hat. Might need to get a 'Noles shirt to balance things out.

Anyone Else Excited For The New Arrival?

Nah, doesn't look like it.

I'm Hooked And I Can't Stop Starin'

We're settled into our room upstairs and just can't get enough of watching Eli.

No, it still doesn't seem real.

Daddy's Soothing Voice

Maybe all those months of reading and talking to Eli in the womb allowed her to recognize Daddy's voice.

Well Not Quite 5 pounds 15 ounces

As you can see from the scale, she wasn't quite 5 pounds 15 ounces. Close enough.

First Check

After bonding with mom and dad for a little while, it was time to get checked out - temperature, listen to breathing, weight, length, etc.

Eliana was 5 pounds 15 ounces and 19 inches long when she arrived at 6:45 pm on 2/21/08.

Name That Baby

Now, going into today we did not have any final decisions on baby names for a boy or girl. After she was resting on Sabina for a short while, we both decided on a name that had made the short list recently ........ Eliana Grace Mazac.

Welcome Eli!

Cut Right Here

So once I wiped enough tears out of my eyes so I could see, Diane was ready for me to cut the cord. After the snip, snip, she was placed on Sabina's chest.

It's A .......... !

Diane kept encouraging Sabina to push hard in order to avoid the c-section. Finally, after about 20 or 30 minutes of pushing, Diane got the head out. The baby had, as hoped, turned to face backwards like it was supposed to! As it came out a little further, we found out that the cord indeed was around the baby's neck and under the arm.

One more good push, and the baby was out.....IT'S A GIRL!!!!!! I'm not lying, I cried like a baby.

Push!

When Diane arrived, her main plan was to push and have a baby. She got Sabina all positioned and had her start pushing. After some good, hard pushing on Sabina's part, Diane thought that the cord might be around the baby's neck and that's why the heart rate kept dropping and it wasn't coming out faster.

Another nurse had called a doctor because she thought it looked like Sabina might need a c-section. Diane did not want to go that route at all and really started encouraging Sabina to push hard to have the baby naturally. The c-section crew was in the room ready to go.

Meanwhile, Diane told Sabina, "push like a mom!" so she kept on pushing hard.....

Off The Pitocin

Since Sabina had progressed a little too fast, they took her off pitocin and she still continued to have contractions on her own. Then we were just waiting for Diane to come in to decide what to do next.

Come Back From Dinner Early

I was almost done with dinner when Teresa called to tell me that Sabina was on oxygen so I should come back quickly. I got there quickly and here's what I found out:

Sabina had an extra long contraction and went from 4 cm to 9 cm (Teresa said it was because Sabina was on the phone with Malissa Jones and it helped her relax and dilate more easily). The baby didn't like this quick progress and the heart rate dropped.

Esther came in and put Sabina on oxygen, the lead nurse came in and shot Sabina up with something to help get the baby's heart rate up.

So when I got back, Sabina had an oxygen mask on and both baby and mom were doing fine.

Turn To The Right

To encourage the baby to move and keep Sabina comfortable, Esther is turning her over to the opposite side each hour.

Well, Sabina's in good hands on her right side, so I'm off to get some dinner. Diane is planning on coming back to check on progress in 1 - 2 hours.

Sunnyside Up

Baby is sunnyside up, meaning that the baby is facing the belly rather than facing the back like it should. As a result Sabina is now enjoying a unique position (in the photo). She is on her side with her top leg elevated in a stirrup. This is supposed to encourage the baby to turn and face the other way. Let's see if it works.....

Want Some Candy?

After Diane broke Sabina's water, contractions got much stronger and by the time Sabina asked for the epidural, Diane said that she had already ordered it. That's a midwife who knows her patient well.

Epidural arrived at 3:25 and twenty minutes later Sabina was feeling MUCH better. But, I'm sure that's pretty obvious by the photo (that's the candy machine in the bottom left).

Going Back Up

The nurse said that Sabina needed to be in more pain so she's been incrementing the pitocin. The contractions have been a little stronger than yesterday, but haven't been moving along much.

Diane just arrived (she's right next to Sabina and Esther, our nurse, is on the left) and just broke Sabina's water at 2:25 pm. She's at 4 cm so hopefully we'll be moving along here soon.......

The Wave

Sabina's been having contractions that are about 40 seconds in length and inconsistently varying between 1 and 4 minutes apart.

The nurse came in and backed the pitocin down a little bit because she had had quite a few contractions close together.

Check out the wave of contractions on the monitor!

Contraction Strength

Pitocin is up to 16 ml/hr now and the contractions are as strong now as they were at the end of the day yesterday. They're pretty short so far. We haven't started timing them yet.

Sabina's favorite part is when she gets to have a Mayfield Banana Pop!

On The Increase

The pitocin is on the increase. They are slowly increasing the dose periodically. Yesterday, Diane said that a rate of 36 ml/hr is the max. Sabina's now at 14. We're not seeing a whole lot of change but the contractions are getting a little bit stronger, not too strong because she's sleeping through them.

Baby's Heartrate

So far, so good. The nurses are looking for a heart rate line like this one that has some variation and isn't just flat. The middle white line is 150 bpm and the space between each horizontal line is 30. Good job baby!

Stoopid Ball

We've had this exercise(now labor) ball for years and it's been fine. But, now, somehow in the hospital it loses significant pressure overnight. I've been sleeping so hard so I'm convinced that the overnight nurse is sneaking in and letting air out of it.

Bonus!

It's quite the bonus when the penicillin burns a little going in through the IV and your mom is a massage therapist!

Back In The Game

Denise, our nurse, came in at 6:45 to get the day started. She covered Sabina's IV so she could take a shower and brought in a bag of pitocin, a bag of penicillin, and a bag of fluids for breakfast. Hopefully today's the day!

Small World

Found out today that some friends are here at Northside also. Jeremy and Beth Hall welcomed Alexis Grace last night at 11:08 just a couple of doors away from us. Just got back from visiting them and taking this photo.

Also, I saw a couple who was in our childbirth preparation class. They are right next door to us right now delivering their baby.

So, at the hospital that delivers more babies than any other in the country and in a city as big as Atlanta, we've came across two couples we know. How cool!

FREEDOM & Encouraging News

Diane came to check on progress and found that Sabina is pretty much completely effaced and is now about 2 cm dilated! She also said that the cervix was much further forward and the head is much lower than it had been. She feels much better about Sabina delivering tomorrow.

As a result, Sabina was liberated from the myriad of IV lines. She's off the pitocin, fluids, and penicillin (had some for beta strep). So, she just has the external fetal monitor and the blood pressure cuff. But, she can now eat!!!!!!

On tap for tonight, dinner and rest. They will then start the pitocin again at 7 am.

Was Mixin' It Up Helpful?

After dropping the pitocin dose and slowly bringing it back up, the baby's heart rate line has been looking better (more fluctuation). So, we're hoping now that Diane won't feel the need to break Sabina's water. But, that may mean that Sabina comes off the pitocin and goes back on in the morning. Should know more in the next hour or two.....

Mixin' It Up

Since Sabina's contractions were consistently about 1 minute apart and not that strong, they decided to drop the pitocin in half and then slowly increment it back up again. The idea is that this would give the uterus a little more time to rest.

Diane had also told Sabina to rest rather than move around because she'll need the moving around energy when the contractions are strong. So, for the past few hours Sabina has been sleeping and resting.

I didn't want to miss out, so I zonked for a few hours as well. Some of the best advice Diane gave was for me to bring a pillow top cushion for my bed. It's been making for some very restful sleep.