One week old already?!?!

Wow.. newborns sure know how to make time fly!! I am so happy that Jonah is here, and our life is so much fun with him in it. I got home from the hospital on Saturday, and have been enjoying my time at home with him. He mostly just eats, sleeps and poops. I have been nursing him and besides a few little tantrums, he is doing great. He loves his rainforest swing and also loves to fall asleep on mommy's breast. He definitely has his days and nights mixed up- he sleeps most of the day, and we're awake most of the night. I really don't see how Joash sleeps through it all. But there's no need for him to get up since I'm nursing most of the night.
Jonah is already very strong. He's been holding his head up since day 1. We had a little bit of a problem with jaundice on days 4 and 5, but he seems to have cleared that up. It was so painful seeing them prick his heel and drain the blood out for the test. The second day we had to get it done, his Papa Marty had to walk out of the room- he couldn't stand it! On Monday the 27th, he went to the pediatrician and he was exactly 8 lbs! Everything but the jaunice looked good. That was the first and last time Jonah would see Dr. Rao. I have already made an appointment for a pediatrician next week in Tyler.

We are getting ready for the big move, and Joash and Dad are making a run with a trailer to Tyler tomorrow. They'll come back on Saturday then we will all head that way on Monday. I'm so excited because we get to go spend the night at the Beau in Biloxi on Sunday! I also get to see Amy and Jane for lunch at my favorite place, Yukis and i'm so excited. We are all getting anxious to move, but I will definitely miss being close to my friends.

Jonah Martin Caraballo:: 4/23/09:: 7lbs. 13.8oz:: 21 inches long:: JUST PERFECT

The big day started at 1:45am when I woke up 5 minutes before my alarm went off. I quickly jumped into the shower, and was very surprised at how calm I was. As soon as I got out, I called the hospital and they advised me to go ahead and come at my scheduled time of 3:30am. Mom and Joash got up and we got all our things together and headed to the hospital in my car. It was the weirdest thing on the way, because we did not see ONE car on our side of I-10 the entire way, which is usually swarmed with traffic. Upon arriving at the hospital, we checked in with Security who then sent us to Admitting to do paperwork. I was sent up to labor and delivery while Mom and Joash waited for me in the waiting room. My nurse was Amanda, who we were very pleased with, since her husband works with Joash at Garcia Roofing. She got my monitors, blood pressure pump and IV going and asked a million questions. She then checked to see if I was dilated and I was so excited because I was a 1-2, which meant I did that on my own!!! I was also contracting 1-3 minutes by myself, and I had no idea.

The pitocin started dripping at 4:40am. We were told that it would probably take me about 12 hours to deliver. I thought that would be an eternity! For the next 4 hours-Joash, Mom and I all just sat around watching tv, and trying to rest. I think those 2 got some cat naps, but I was far too anxious to sleep. At 8:55am, Dr. Lafranca came in to check me. I was a 2 and she also broke my water and put internal monitors on my cervix to better gage the contractions. Since the water was broken, I started to feel contractions becoming stronger at about 9:30am. Daddy finally came up to the hospital around that time.

I received the epidural at 11:45am, and I'm not going to lie, I completely freaked out. I was so nervous about them putting the needles and catheder in my spine. I was also upset because they sent Mom, Joash and Dad out of the room. The anesthesiologist was almost going to give up on me, and really had to coax me to be still and almost threaten to leave. My poor nurse holding me was mad because I had screamed in her ear, and I couldn't keep from crying. We finally got that finished and almost immediately I had relief from the contractions and my legs started to tingle. Everything was pretty much smooth sailing after that because of the epi. The nurse checked me again about 1:30p, and I was a 4-5 and she also administered a catheder. Two whole hours later, I was still a 5 and it was frustrating me because I didn't make much progress. The nurse, Heather, claimed that everytime she would try to turn the dosage up on the pitocin, my contractions would level out- which meant they weren't as strong as expected. She let me know that normal women have their drip on a 36 and I was on a 6, which was next to nothing- AND she had to keep turning it down to a 4. Therefore, I was pretty much laboring on my own.

Joash's family also arrived in the afternoon. His parents and brother Jorge and sister Briana all drove down from Orlando for the big event. I was so happy to see them! They all took turns coming in to see me while I was laboring. Illean said an awesome prayer over me and the baby for everything to be okay, and the contractions to increase. Well, her prayer pretty much did the trick because at about 5:15pm, I was an 8!!!! We were so excited!!! I was so tired because by that time, I already had been laboring for 12+ hours. Somewhere along the way, I had developed a fever and it was pretty high. I had to be given a penicillin drip and some Tylenol.

At 6:35pm my nurse Heather checked me one last time before she went off duty, and I was a 9-10. She said there was still some cervix left at the top, but it wouldn't be long. Emily had arrived and was visiting for a little bit and by the time the next nurse (Katherine) came in, she had to leave because it was time to push! I couldn't believe it. I was so nervous, and excited at the same time- but mostly scared out of my mind. Illean, my mom, and Joash got to all be in the room with me while I delivered. Katherine immediately tought me how to breathe, curl over, and push and got my legs up in the stirrups. It started way too fast! Mom was holding one leg, Joash the other, and Illean was helping support my shoulders. I started pushing about 7:15pm. When Dr. Lafranca came in to check the progress, she scared us because she said she would be back in about 40 mins. So the nurse and my "team" pushed until then, which seemed like a lifetime!!!! ( Oh, did I mention that the whole time I couldn't breathe out of my nose, and my acid reflux was gagging me with every push). LOVELY. Anyway, Dr. Lafranca FINALLY came back and she got her gear on, and was ready to help out. She discovered that Jonah was sunny side-up. That seriously was another terrifying moment because she had to manually rotate him inside of me all the way around. I could feel it, and it was the strangest thing. We then thought that she would have to use forceps because my pushing wasn't strong enough to have him come down as needed. Once I heard those words, I didn't care what it took- I was getting him out on my own!!!

So at 8:55pm, Jonah came into this world. He is absolutely beautiful, and I couldn't have asked for more. I love my life now as a new mommy. I want to thank my family and Joash's family for all their support this entire pregnancy. We love you!

Here we go.

Just called the Charge nurse at Woman's and she told me to go ahead and come to the hopsital, my room is ready.

Oh my goodness. I still don't htink it has sunk in yet... but I bet it will in no time when I'm hooked up to monitors and an IV with a hospital gown on.

Please, Jonah, don't be too harsh on me. Mommy loves you already!

Crunch Time!

T minus 7 1/2 hours until we leave for the hospital and there's no turning back now!! This last day pre-motherhood has gone by incredibly fast! It started about 6am when I couldn't sleep any longer and had to move to the couch. I saw Joash off to work, then ate breakfast with Dad. Him and I then went walking the neighborhood and it was a BEAUTIFUL day!!! The afternoon was pretty uneventful- laying on the couch and watched about 5 DVR'd episodes of A Baby Story. Then I was able to take a nap! Woo Hoo! I guess it hasn't really set in yet. Mom and I went walking the neighborhood again and then she gave me a much-needed pedicure because I didn't want to get out of the house and go get them done. When Joash got home from work, we all celebrated a wonderful dinner at Mike Anderson's. I got to eat some of mom's yummy and spicy crawfish, and also had a wonderful dessert. Jonah loved his last meal in-utero!!!!

When we got home, we installed the car seat after a few trial errors. We are now winding down, making sure everything is packed and ready to go. I'm going to have Joash vacuum the bedroom one last time because of Halo hair... And speaking of Halo, i'm going to miss him a lot these next few nights. He has no idea he's about to have some competition with Mommy's attention!

I am also super excited that Joash's parents, Briana and Jorge are on their way here. I was really hoping that they would be here this evening so we could spend time with them, but they left way too late and won't get into town until we after we go to bed. We will see them at the hospital tomorrow. I'm still stoked that Emily gets to come, and Amy is also going to drop in for a visit too! Then I will have 2 of my BFF's here. So happy about that!! I wish Shea could be here, but I know that she has school stuff to do in Dallas, and she'll come to Tyler when we get there.

So everyone is pretty much ready to go. I gave mom and Joash a call/text list for when Jonah is here. I can't wait to meet my angel, and post pictures. Can you believe this pregnancy journey is coming to a close? Because I sure can't... But ready or not!

The news we have all been waiting for!

So if you haven't heard the news yet, we have a scheduled induction for Thursday (yes, the day after tomorrow) at 3:30am. I am officially freaking out. Because, if you think about it- I have to get ready to go TOMORROW NIGHT! Tonight will be the last night of real sleep that I will have in a LONG TIME. Oh my Goodness! Ugh. I am so tired right now because I have been up since 5:30am because I was so anxious about my appointment today. I had to first go to the hospital for another biophysical sonogram- but everything turned out okay. Jonah's heartbeat was fine and my fluid level was back up, which was what the concern was in the first place. Then, I went and had more blood drawn, and I hope it was my last time to do that. After that, I had to go over to Dr. Lafranca's office and sit and wait over an hour! Once we got in, she let me know that we were scheduled, and also since we are inducing, there is an elevated chance of a c-section. That really got me nervous, but I know that either way, Jonah will be here soon and we are in God's hands! She checked me, and my cervix was actually a tiny bit opened! Not enough for one cm yet, but at least it wasn't closed. She was confident that she will be able to break my water when the time comes. I am very nervous about that, by the way, but she ensured me that if I just relax, I won't feel anything because there are no neurons on the amniotic sack and the instrument will only poke the water bag. It is still very nerve-racking to me though.

The Dr. thinks that it will be about a 12-hour process, and once I am admitted, they will start me on petocin within the first 1/2 hour. Hopefully I will be able to snooze a little bit since it will be a long day. I'm thinking that after I get toe epidural, I will be able to relax a little bit.

Joash is taking off work Thursday and Friday! We are going to have a 4 day weekend together, and Jonah will finally be here. And, I am so happy because my BFF Emily is driving down from Jackson on Thursday evening to see us, and then she will have to go back early Friday morning for work. But I am so glad that she will be able to be a part of this, since she is Jonah's godmother. I am also hoping that Joash's parents will get to come down to visit. They haven't visited since J moved here, and I would like for them to see where he's been staying in LA. But, if not, they can always come to Tyler.

I am so anxious and ready to get to Tyler since we are pretty much bein rushed out of this house. I haven't heard anymore news yet, and I hope that we can at least have until May 6th to be out, since my 2 week appointment with the Dr. is on the 5th. I still have to make arrangements for a new OB, pediatrician, and insurance in Texas very soon. I hope to God that he will lead us to some wonderful doctors, like we have had here. I know everything will fall into place in the end, though. We are in good hands!

Oh, and Daddy comes home tonight! So I am SOOOOOO happy that he will be here and be able to share this special day with us. He is going to be a really great grandpa!
I really need to go lay down and rest right now, but my mind is going 90-nothin and I'm short in breath because I'm so anxious. I don't think I would be able to rest if I tried.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers, and I can't wait to update this after Jonah is here and post pictures!

Met Jonah's temporary pediatrician today!

Mom and I went to visit Dr. Rao's office, and we were so pleased at how much we liked this Doctor! It was a very brief visit, and he let us know that either him or his partner will see the baby within 24 hours after I deliver, then we will see him within the first week, then the 2nd week. We were recommended to him by our OB/GYN because it's her brother-in-law. I am also glad because they will take my Medicaid insurance. I will be sad to leave all these wonderful Doctors here in Baton Rouge, and pray that we have the same luck in Tyler!

On another note, I took my 38 week and 1 day belly picture today. As you can tell, I do not like my face these days so I chopped it off! Jonah is getting huge....

Another Update

Yesterday I had another biophysical ultrasound to see how Jonah is doing. Everything seemed fine except that my amniotic fluid is low. Other than that, his heart rate was good, and breathing motions were fine. We got to see a glimpse of his little nose and lips, and he's got the cutest big lips! We also got to see his manhood, which was a relief because he hasn't cooperated in showing it to us since I was 20 weeks.

This morning I went to the Dr. again. My regular doctor is still out of town, but I liked this one as well. She just reminded me about the fluid being low, and I really need to be drinking a whole lot of fluids, and stressed that I must continue bed rest thruought the weekend. She said the dangers of it could be that the placenta isn't working properly, or the baby could be acting up and maybe rolled onto the umbilical cord. So i'm really going to try and have that not be an issue when I go for my next sonogram on Tuesday. I will be doing MORE bloodwork also, and we're hoping to find out if we can schedule an induction since Dr. Lafranca will be back.

Stay Tuned! Jonah will be here before we know it....

The hospital is becoming my 2nd home!

I called the Dr. this morning because my BP was 150/100 as soon as I woke up. She wanted me to come in and have blood work done at the lab, then to come see them in the office afterwards. To make a long story short, I had all my tests done, and everything is Ok. I have had a bad cold the past few days and was taking a decongestant that was making my blood pressure high. Since my Doc is off this week, her partner checked me out, and I still haven't dilated any. I have a sonogram tomorrow, and am doing another 24 hour urine analysis, then I go see the Dr. again on Wednesday. But, seems that baby and I are okay, once again.

The thing that I'm stressing about right now is that my landlord is wanting to sell this house, and they have found a family that really wants it. The thing is- is that they want it in 2 weeks. I have been freaking out about this since I haven't even had the baby yet, and my landlord is going to see if we can buy more time. I asked her to see if the people would at least give me until after my 2 week follow up apptointment. We will see. If they have a heart, they will let me stay. If not, we will have to move to TX right away and find a Dr. there, which I'm really worried about. So please please please pray that these people understand that my newborn and I need to rest before we make that move.

Oh my Halo..

He seriously almost gave me heart failure today. I was watching tv this morning when Joash yelled at me from the bedroom "Halo's fighting with a dog!" So I darted outside and saw him and a black lab in the woods, and once I yelled for Halo the dog scrammed. (Thank the Lord). Anyway, Joash finally got out there and said he saw Halo up in a tree that was taller than the house, and then he fell. I can't believe he could climb a tree because his front claws were removed. So I guess he couldn't move from shock, and Joash had to trek in the woods through all the thorns and briars to get him. He was so dirty and wet at that. So i put him in the tub and picked the branches off of him, and got him as clean as I could. Afterwards, he was just laying around breathing really really heavy, and coughing a few times. It scared the crap out of me so we found a vet at PetsMart that would take him in today. We left him there for a few hours, and they sedated him and X-rayed him. Everything seems to be okay except for a blood clot that may have pushed his colon down. We are going to watch him for that reason, but thankfully there are no fractures. He was really lucky because he fell a long ways, and he was also lucky that the dog didn't bite him. He is walking around all drunk and loopy right now, but it should wear off in a couple hours. He has pain meds that we will give him, because his back is probably sore from the impact of the fall. He is NOT going outside anymore...

Here's a picture of my beautiful baby.

Today, Jonah and I both did great!!!

We went in to the hospital at about 9am this morning, and they got us right in to start on the Ultrasound. His movement, heart rate, and my fluid were all good! I was so happy. It was so neat to see my little one again, but it's getting so tight in my belly- that his parts are hard to make out. We were able to tell that he was facing outwards towards my lower right abdomen, and his rear/legs were up above my belly button. It's like he's laying on his right side, no wonder I look lop-sided sometimes!

So after we did the sono, we walked over to the Dr. Blood pressure was great, and our little home machine pretty much matches up with what theirs did- at least we got a good one. No protein in urine, either- so Dr. Lafranca was pleased with going on vacation through the weekend and next week being sure that I wouldn't need to deliver between now and then.

Mom and I celebrated by eating a wonderful lunch at Chimes East. It was great.

Now if I can only stand waiting 2 more weeks! Jonah had me up at 4:30 this morning, but thankfully I had a couple hour nap when we got home.

The Doctor today.

So after waiting an hour and a half in a dreadfully hot waiting room, we finally got to see Dr. Lafranca. I guess they make you wait that long if you are a work in.

Of course my blood pressure was "a little on the high side" (140/90) so she wants me to continue staying on bed rest, and coming in to the office twice a week, instead of once, so we can keep a close watch on it. She says it's not bad enough to get the baby out now,but if it were to be a little higher then things could change. She advised us to purchase a home blood pressure machine, and I have to go back this Thursday and calibrate it with theirs.

She checked my cervix again, and I was so much better with the nerves. No dilation as of yet. When I go next week I'm going to have to see one of her partners since she's on vacation, and I will probably be more nervous- and he's a male doctor. She told me that we will probably induce the later part of the week of April 20 depending on how Jonah is doing and what the BP is, or we might just wait til closer to the due date. So if he doesn't decide to come on his own between now and then, then Dad will definitely be here- which is what I'm wishing for.

Yesterday....

We had our labor and delivery tour, which was MUCH needed! Now we know where to go if/when I go into labor. =)
I was more comfortable knowing more about the hospital and the staff, and seeing the L&D rooms. I am so glad that the baby does not leave the room after the birth, and they do all the cleaning up and tests in room with mommy. I am also glad to know that there can be 3 people present for the birth itself. I'm really hoping that Daddy can be there- he goes back to work tomorrow for 2 weeks. So hopefully Jonah can cook for 2 weeks more. The hospital staff was so nice! I am really excited because they are so personal and really want to make your experience there one to remember. This is one of the top specialty hospitals in the nation, if not the #1. They have the best NICU program around, and neonatalologists are there 24 hours. I really think this is why God chose us to stick around G-town and have the baby here. I am getting way more excited! We're just hoping that my doctor will be there to deliver Jonah. I love her so much.

We took a 36 week and 4 day belly picture yesterday, and it's me telling Jonah to hurry up and come out! Ha! I wanted him to come yesterday since Dad is still here, but since he didn't, we have to wait. =)


Well today Mom and I checked my blood pressure at the machine at Wal-Mart. It was 141/91- higher than I expected considering I laid around all morning/afternoon before we went. So, I called my Nurse to check on the group strep b test and urine analysis tests I completed, and let her know about the BP. She said that the tests were fine, and I tested negative for strep B (thank Goodness), but the Doctor wants to see me tomorrow instead of Thurs. for my 37 week appointment, since the Doc will be out of town for Easter. I am very nervous about this for some reason, and I just hope my BP goes down. I would hate to have to be assessed again for a couple hours in the hospital following my appointment. We'll see how it goes. Pray that I'm not nervous/anxious about her checking me for dilation! I have got to get over that fear...

I'll update after my appointment.

My 36 week appointment

I had to go to my OB yesterday for the dreaded, but exciting 36 weeker. We first did a sono, and saw the very active Jonah! His head was so far down my pelvis that we couldn't really get a profile pic. So i'm glad that he's being good and staying in position. He is really running out of room in my belly, so there wasn't much we could make out of it. We found out that he is already 6 lbs., 11 oz. Wow! Mom, Dad and I were making bets to see how big we thought he was, and Dad was the closest guessing 6 lbs, 12 oz. I was wishful thinking and said 6 lbs, 4 oz. Ha! In my dreams... So anyway the sono tech said that I had plenty of amniotic fluid also, which is a good thing.

Then we waited another almost 2 hours to see the Doctor. But first, the nurse took my blood pressure. I knew it was going to be sky high because I was so nervous/anxious for the pelvic exam. It ended up being something like 150/102, and she the nurse had the "UH OH" look on her face. She laid me down on my left side, took it again, and it was ok. But when I sat back up a few minutes later, it wasn't ok. Everyone could tell my legs/ankles/feet were severely swollen. The Doc finally came in and measured the belly. I am measuring 39 weeks! She goes "That measurement, and your blood pressure is enough to make me have high blood pressure!!" Oh, that's great, I thought. So after the dreaded Strep B culture, and pelvic exam (Not dilated yet), she made me go over to the hopsital to be "assessed" for the high blood pressure.

Once I got to the hospital, they admitted me into a room, hooked me up to a contraction and fetal monitor, drew my blood and had my blood pressure automatically taken every 15 mins. I was really nervous because they didn't let anyone come back with me for at least a half hour. Being in a hospital gown, with a bracelet, and hooked up to everything really made it seem real that this is what it's going to look like VERY SOON when I go into labor. It was really crazy feeling, and I was glad when they finally let Joash come back there. My blood pressure was read about 5 times, and NOT ONCE was it high. So that's great! Then my blood work came back very good, so no complications there either. After all that was over, they sent me home and I'm on bed rest for the rest of the weekend, and am having to do a 24-hour urine sample. FUN STUFF!

Anyway, I got a lot of texts, calls and messages from my friends and family. And I love y'all! Thanks for all the support! I know most of you know how afraid I am of Doctors/needles/etc... And i'm hoping I can conquer my fear once the baby comes.
Can't wait to see him!

Some pics for proof- Ha!