Welcome Katherine Elizabeth Ingram

Just wanted to announce the birth of my daughter, Katherine.

Born: August 20th, 2006
Time: 10:35 pm
Weight and Heigh: 7 lbs 12 oz , 21"

I started having contractions around 4:30 pm Sunday afternoon, after several hours of shopping and walking around. My contractions were approximately 12 minutes apart, at around 6:30 pm, they were anywhere between 5 to 8 minutes apart, I then decided to take a warm bath to help me relax and prepare for the birth. By 7:30 pm, they were 3 to 5 minutes apart. I then prompted my husband to start getting ready to head out to the hospital as they were getting closer quickly. We were on the road by 7:45 pm and by 8:15 pm, my contractions were 2 minutes apart...there was no doubt in my mind that I was now in active labor. We checked in the hospital by 8:45 pm and I was in the delivery room at about 9:10 pm... they then checked me and I was already at 7 cm. The nurse then coaxed me into going without the epidural...I was all for it but then the doctor came in, checked me again and asked me if I wanted the epidural BEFORE proceeding with breaking my water... at that point, I was still coping witht he pain very nicely and said No. Well, I quickly changed my mind when she broke my water... I was already at 8 cm ... Doc ordered the epidural but they barely got to me on time, at this point, they were not suppose to give it to me but she was able to talk him into it! THANK GOD! It didn't take the pain completely away but it certainly took the edge off. The urge to push came quickly after the epidural... I only had to push 10 minutes and she was out!

Thje birth of my first child was 10 1/2 hours long (water broke), this one was only 5 from the time of my first contraction. What is very interesting is that both of them were born on their due date! They say only 5% of women actually give birth on their due date but to do it twice in a row is practically unheard of, I felt like I won the lottery ! *LOL*

No Baby Yet!

Went to see to the doctor yesterday for my weekly visit, no real changes since last week (or the week before for that matter). I’m still 50% effaced and 2 cm dilated. My due date is August 20th, but I honestly think that I’ll surpass that due date by at least a week; they determined my due date via ultrasound and since I’ve measured smaller for the past several weeks, they may be off by a week or so. My belly yesterday was measuring at about 38 ½ weeks. They did another ultrasound yesterday to ensure that the baby wasn’t in a breach position; he had difficulty telling if the baby was head down due to having a hard time picking up the heartbeat, you could hear it but just not loud enough to say “it’s definitely coming from here”. They say that if they hear the heartbeat above your belly button, the baby is more then likely in a breach position…well, she’s heads down, so, no scheduled C-section for me! OUF!

Anyway, my mother is arriving tonight, which is GREAT! I was so worried about going into labor before she got here, I really wanted for her to go through the entire birth experience this time around. I’m hoping she will be there to see everything; I’ll leave it up to her. As for my 3 year old daughter, I’m undecided if she will be in the room or not at the time of delivery, it all depends on how she/I react and I don’t want to traumatize her. I know someday this question will arise “Mommy, how did Katherine come out?” *lol* Oooooooh, the hard questions that I will have to answer someday! I want to be truthful and honest but there’s a proper way of answering a child’s curiosity questions, especially when it comes to “how” babies are made, etc. How awkward!

Hopefully, I’ll have this baby over the weekend? It would be nice but I seriously doubt it, just a feeling I got. If by my next appointment, I haven’t gone to labor, my doctor will talk to me about “inducing”…not sure if I’m willing to do that, to me, that’s unnecessary intervention, especially if there’s nothing wrong with the mom and the baby? It may just be that they have my due date wrong? Anyway, anything that increases my risks of having a C-section is OUT of the question, so, no “castor oil” for me *lol*…I’m going to wait and let nature takes it course, isn’t it more exciting that way anyway? Hell, I didn’t want to find out the sex of this baby but my husband insisted, I think he doesn’t like “not knowing”, that’s why he’s so “stuck” on this due date and driving me nuts!!!!!!! He’s sooooooooooooooooo overly anxious to see this baby, it’s unreal, and he checks on me at least 2 or 3 times a day at work… I keep telling him, “You’ll be the 1st one to know if anything happens!” Some people think it’s very sweet that he’s so anxious, but the “sweet” part is starting to wear off and getting to be quite annoying.

Well enough ramping and raving for now… I’ll definitely keep you all updated about the baby.

Oh, here are a few pictures of the baby shower they had for me at work. I’ve never had a family baby shower on my parents’ side since I’m just simply too far away from everybody.

Last Friday’s Doctor’s Visit

Went to see the doctor on Friday afternoon last week and he told me I was about 50% effaced, a fingertip dilated and that the baby was very “low” at approximately +1 station. He said that he doubted that I would make it to my due date (August 20th). I’ve been having some cramps on a daily basis now but they mostly come in the middle of the night, when I’m trying to sleep. My husband and I have a bet going ($50.00), where he thinks I’ll be going to labor before August 10th…and I told him it was going to be after. My thinking is that it may be this weekend or earlier next week…we’ll see! As per the statistics, 95% of babies are born within 2 weeks of their due date (before and after). Either way, she’s coming soon!

Anybody ever tried castor oil? I wouldn’t even try it but always wondered if someone tried it and what it did to them? I hear it works ONLY if you are “ready” but that it can also be quite risky if your not. My husband may try to talk me into taking it this weekend, if my doctor’s visit goes well HA! Just a little feeling I’m getting… he’s more anxious then I am.

Anyway, that’s my doctor’s update, no baby yet …

Baby Update :)

Only have but 16 more days to go until my due date “August 20th”. No signs of progression so far (no dilation, no effacement). I’m going to the doctor this afternoon; hopefully I’ll have some news to share! Last week they told me I was measuring smaller then they wanted so they checked the baby’s size (ultrasound), they said everything looked great and that she weighed approximately 6 lbs.

Currently, I weigh approximately 172 lbs, sounds like a lot but it’s not too bad when last time, I was at about 195 lbs! I’m retaining some water but not too bad, at least, I’m still wearing my wedding ring. It seems lately that the baby has the hiccups everyday; in fact, she’s got them right now as I’m typing! I’m also getting contractions on a daily basis but not very strong, just the type that last about 45 seconds that feel like a bad menstrual cramp…they seem to happen a lot at night when I’m trying to sleep. *lol* They also happen a lot when she’s very active and moving around, it just provokes contractions. I’m starting to feel very anxious for this baby to come but I’m also nervous about how Cassandra is going to react and how ethic my life will become with a newborn, a 3 year old, a dog (trying to find him a new home), a cat, and a husband that may be working longer hours or traveling in order for us to have a roof over our heads and food on the table.

On a good note, my mother will be coming down to visit us from Canada on August 18th and will be staying for a full month, so, she will be a great help! She is practically my personal maid when she’s there (cooks, cleans, does my laundry, etc…that woman can’t sit down for 5 minutes!) I do have to say that I wished we lived closer to each other, because she’s the best! She had me at a very young age and practically raised me on her own, I give her a lot of credit for that…my father was also very thankful for her, the last few years of his life, he has told me and my mother over and over again that he was grateful for her, that he took no credit for my upbringing and that she couldn’t have done a better job at it. My mother and I haven’t talked much about my father recent passing just a month and a half ago, she hasn’t really said much about how it affected her….all I know is that ever since the day, when we talk over the phone and before we hang up, she now says “I Love You”, something she’s NEVER done. I think she wants to reassure me that she really does love me, but hearing her say it is very strange to me *lol* but I really do appreciate her effort in expressing her love, but it’s just one of those things that she doesn’t have to say anything, I just know that she does!

Well, I better get back to work, hopefully I’ll have a good update to share after my doctor’s visit today. :)