Little homegirl is getting chubby

Here is a pic I just took on my cell phone of little homegirl...she's getting big chubby cheekers...

My baby girl is two weeks old today

I can't beleive how fast time is going now that I'm no longer pregnant!
It's like when I was pregnant the days dragged on for what seemed like forever....and now that Madelynn is here each day just zooms on by!

She had her 2 week check up yesterday...she is up to 6 pounds even now...and is 19 inches long...she's wearing newborn size diapers now instead of preemie...but still doesn't fit any of her newborn clothing...so she's still in her preemie clothes...for now.

She's getting a bald spot on the back of her head from sleeping on her back...I love brushing her hair! I can't wait until she's old enough for me to french braid her hair...I love braiding :) Though I'll wait for that because I want her to stay a sweet baby girl for as long as she can :)

Here is a picture I took of her this morning while I was changing her from her jammies into her outfit for the day :)

Our new life

Wow....life since we've brought our baby home is so different! I am so in love with this little girl...I can't even begin to explain it!

Madelynn is a good baby...she is an excellent sleeper and an excellent eater :)
She nurses and I also pump boobie juice and put it in a bottle so Dad can help with the feedings to :) It's nice this way because I don't feel trapped....I can have him feed her...and know she's still getting breast milk :)

She is so small that we had to go out and get her some clothes that actually fit her....all the things we had were just WAY TOO BIG! We had a couple preemie outfits but only like 4...so my sister and my husband went and got about 5 more little outfits so she'd have some clothes that fit her....she's just now starting to not swim in even her preemie clothes...and she's still in her preemie diapers....she's a dink.

She had a home nurse visit when she was 3 days old and she had gotten down to 5 lbs. 1 oz. from her birth weight of 5lbs. 9 oz. and then she had her one week check up and she was back up to 5 lbs. 3 oz. she had a touch of jaundice and had to get blood taken to check her levels...THAT was hard as heck to hold her poor little arm down for :( But she's a trooper and only wimpered for a brief moment...her levels turned out to be going down from her last check so she was getting better on her own...and it appears to be almost all the way gone now. So that's good news :)

Madelynn loves her ocean wonders aquarium in her crib....if she's upset and we put her in there and turn it on she just stares at it and becomes content....she hardly ever cries....she gets fidgity every now and again...but if we tend to her she has no need to cry :) She's eating about 2.5 ounces at each feeding (from what I pump I can see how much she eats so that's kind of cool)

She's under the 5th percentile for her weight/head circumfrence and between 25 and 50% for her height...so she is long and skinny :)

Her umbilical cord stump fell off yesterday...so we gave her, her first bath she did great...she just looked all around...and then smelled so fresh and clean :) And as I was carrying her up to her bedroom to dress her she peed all over me! Silly baby girl! She pooped so many times yesterday that we had to give her another bath before bed because she sort of smelled like poo...and that's not neat! We slathered some aquafour lotion on her since her skin is scaly right now since it's peeling....

She's in her crib right now with her aquarium on...she's 'talking' to it....

We took her to see Santa yesterday...and also to get her newborn photos done....everyone kept stopping us and asking questions about her...probably because she's so teency :)

We also took her to meet her Grandma and Uncle (Hubbys Mom and Brother) for the first time on Friday....they loved her...and she was so good on the long drive...I sat in the back seat with her just in case...but she was so good...she slept...and then when she woke up she just looked all around....then yesterday my Mom came over to see her again...she is so funny...she is litterally obsessed with my baby girl...she calls every five seconds to tell me she's having "Madelynn withdrawls" and ask how she's doing :) It's cute...everyone in the family is so excited to have her in the family and it's really nice :)

I can't imagine life with out my sweet baby girl...it's like she's been here always...like she was always meant to be in my life...but was just waiting for the right time! I love her so much...and I'm so glad I am her Mommy :)

Here are her pictures from yesterday...(They are just scans of the pictures)

My precious gift

Madelynns birth story

I was at a normal OB appt with a b/p of 170/117 and my doc said....you're going to the hospital to be induced now...goodbye! hahahaa.....so I was checked at the doc and was 1cm 70% effaced....and was told I'd have to have a 2 part induction since my cervix was not 'ripe' yet....so they put in a cervadil...to soften my cervix....and i laid still for 4 hours and let it do it's thang....it had to stay in for a total of 12 hours...and after i was done with that i was still ONLY 1cm but was now fully effaced....i was annoyed i hadn't dilated anymore...but was told we'd do the 'next step' the following morning at 5 am with pitocin...and was given a sleeping aid to catch some zzzz's since I'd have a "rough day ahead" well.....I woke up to some major contractions at 4 am....and had gone into labor on my own with out the pitocin! I was checked at 5 and was 3cm dilated...I called hubby (I had sent him home to sleep since I wasn't even getting the pitocin until the next day anyway I figured that would be fine!) I told him I was in PAIN and NEEDED him to come back to the hospital....he said something I'm not sure what but I was having another contraction so I just hung up the phone!

I requested an epidural at this time and waited for the wonder tonic to arrive....it took a bit to see that wonderful man....but when he got there he asked if I'd had my blood work done yet....WHAT....no.....I hadn't had blood work done for a couple days and was told since I was pre-eclamptic I'd have to have blood work done before I could get the epi....so they called the lab and they took my blood after about a 15 minute wait for him to take it...then about 10 minutes for the results to come back...which they did...and it was fine to get the epi.....so I sat on the side of the bed.....hubby was on his way to my side of the bed to have me hang on him to get the epi....when I was about to get it....I suddenly HAD TO PUSH....I couldn't sit still....I just needed to push
So the doc had me lay down to see where I was..if in fact I needed to push or not.....
She checked me...I was 9.5 cm dilated and she said I could push with the next contraction...and the bad news was that I could not get my beloved wonder tonic!

It was at this point I freaked out! I was so scared...I screamed at the top of my lungs in pain....agony....fear...and all that....I remember saying in a moment of pain that "I can't beleive I have to do this with out an epidural" and I tried to cry but no tears would come...and I just needed to push and so I pushed...screamed....pushed....screamed....screamed....pushed....for a while.....it was about 20 minutes or so of pushing....because I was having trouble keeping my push...simply because I was just so scared....I would push for a split second then scream in pain....not holding the push....I could not beleive the pain her head was causing in my body....I felt like I was going to take a huge dump...and said "Holy crap I have to take a crap" and the doctor said "no Brooke that's your baby, you're having a baby" "PUSH" so I pushed.....and her entire body shot out in the two good pushes I actually managed to hold with out wasting my contraction with a scream of pain!
As she slid out my bag of water broke and out her body came she just slid out she was slimy from the water bag....but pretty clean for just being born :)
They put her on my chest and I looked at her and cried....the first thing I remember saying was "she's so small....why is she so small?"
They told me she was fine....
she didn't cry....so they took her to the table to 'rouse' her....she still didn't cry but was alert and looking all around...she came out with her eyes open and just looked around at her blurry new world....
She never did cry that first day...she was so peacful...and calm....she nursed like a champ from the get go....and still is.
She was 5 pounds 9 ounces 18 inches long and has newborn grey eyes...and brown hair with little curls :)
she's a good little lady....she's about to wake up now though so I'm going to go now.....

She's here!

Here is my sweet baby Madelynn Louise...
born November 30th at 7:29am 5 pounds 9 ounces 18 inches long with a natural labor...and vaginal birth!
Can you beleive that....I did it ala natural!!!!
It HURT!!!! But she's here....she's my sweet baby girl...

I'll update with a birth story at a later time...but here is a picture of my sweet baby girl.