Snapshots

Our Family

Sisters

Papa Jack & The Girls

Nanna & Lucie

Papa Randy, Brett, Grandma & Lucie

Auntie Jamie & Lucie

Auntie Aimee with Lucie, Ella & Cousin Amelia

She finally has a name!

Yes, some of you probably thought we were crazy to go to the hospital to have a baby and not have a name picked out. In all honesty, by Saturday night, I was wondering about the wisdom of it too! Our stay at the hospital was a whirlwind, and Brett & I didn't have time to sit down quietly and discuss it until Saturday at dinner time. We talked to family & friends during the day, checked blog suggestions, looked on the internet, read baby name books...and STILL went to bed without a winner! Finally on Sunday morning, we settled on a name for our precious new daughter.

Lucie Claire Piersma

A New Addition to the Family!

Baby Girl Piersma
Born January 4, 2008 at 6:50pm
8 pounds, 9 ounces
21 inches long
Dark Hair, Blue Eyes

Sorry for the delay in the announcement...as you can imagine, things got a little busy here after she arrived. For those interested in more details about the rest of the labor & birth, read on...

Yesterday on the pitocin drip, I went from 4 to 7 centimeters during the course of about 8 hours. It was pretty manageable -- I was laughing through most of it (Brett is a pretty funny guy). At 3pm, our wonderful nurse Jennifer went off duty and we got another fantastic nurse named Heather. She is originally from South Africa and has worked as a midwife for many years. I truly felt like the two of them were an answer to my prayers! At about 4:45pm, the doctor arrived to break my water and things got a bit more intense after that, but thankfully they moved swiftly. Within an hour and a half, I was fully dilated and wanting to push. I was able to do a few pushes even before the doctor got here just to get things moving. The doc arrived back quickly and by 6:50pm, we were holding another sweet little girl in our arms! Ella was right -- she has a sister!

The next few hours flew by. We got to hold her immediately and kept her for about 2 hours before they took her for the routine exams, etc. I was finally able to eat again and get situated. The postpartum rooms are all full here so we're staying in the labor room until later today when one of the other rooms opens up. We'll stay overnight again tonight and head home sometime tomorrow. Ella should be here shortly to meet her sister for the first time, so I'm going to sign off. We'll try to post more pictures later in the day. Thank you for all your prayers!

PS - Baby Girl Piersma does NOT have a name yet. Feel free to post suggestions in the comments section!

Baby-Watch Update #2

This is Brett, updating on behalf of my other, um, half. Not much to say, except that it is raining outside, but not in here. That is to say, no water. There may be a flood soon, and I don't mean outside. However, the Doc is not here yet, which may be explained by the flood, that is, the one outside. When the Doc does arrive through the flood to the promised land, she will bring the outside in. Or, in other words, the insides will come out...
Over and out!
-bp

Baby Watch Update #1

Well, we're here at the hospital. We arrived a little after 6am and it took a good hour or so to get situated. There were forms to be signed, questions asked, IV to be started, etc. The nurse Karen did a cervical exam and I was still at 4 centimeters. Karen was shortly off duty and was replaced by Jennifer. When I saw her, I did an inner shout of excitement -- I remember her from when we had Ella. She was on duty when we left the hospital with Ella and actually took our family photo before we left. She has been fantastic -- upbeat, energetic and willing to let me move around as much as possible. The only bummer is that she goes off duty at 3pm. It would be great if she could be here for the birth, but I don't know that it will happen. Given my track record (and the fact that it is now 1pm), I'm doubting that will happen. Let's hope that whoever replaces her is just as good.

They started me on pitocin at around 8:30am and around 11:30am I had dilated to 5 centimeters. I did get a little break for about 30 minutes from the pitocin and got to walk around a bit. Unfortunately, the contractions started spacing out a bit further and got less intense. So, I'm back on the fetal monitor and pitocin drip for now. The doctor will probably come by at 3pm or so to break my water if necessary.

It's actually been a fun process thus far. My mom is here and Brett has been keeping us laughing. Laughing through a pitocin drip...I suppose it is a good distraction even if it does hurt a little bit more. Well, I suppose that is all to report for the moment...just waiting for 5 more centimeters! Keep praying for us.

Contractions

Well, this little one may decide to come on his/her own today. I woke up at 1am with a pretty labor-like contraction. Then, I stayed awake from from 1-4ish with contractions about 8-10 minutes apart -- some felt like labor, others didn't. I went back to bed, fell asleep and they stopped for the most part with the exception of a few isolated ones that woke me up a few times. Right now, not much is happening. So, today will be a day of last minute errands and walks to see if we can get this thing going on its own. If not, I hope that last night helped things along a bit and tomorrow will go quickly and safely. Keep praying....

The end is in sight...

Today Brett and I headed to SB for our prenatal visit at 40 weeks, 3 days. The baby's heartbeat is good and I am dilated to 4 centimeters -- only 6 to go! We spent awhile talking to the doctor about the possibility of inducing this baby. Since I am measuring just as I was with Ella, there is concern that this baby could already be as big as Ella was (8lbs, 13 oz) and still gaining the longer s/he stays in there. Although I don't love the idea of inducing, I also don't love the idea of giving birth to a baby larger than Ella or having a c-section. Plus, I had hoped that we would have some time to spend together at home while I recovered and we adjusted to life as a family of four before Brett headed back to school on the 7th.

So, we've decided to give this baby another day to come on his/her own or we're scheduled to go in to the hospital early Friday AM to induce. The plan is to start me on pitocin to get some contractions going and then to break my water. My hope and prayer is that I won't need to remain on pitocin for long and will be able to finish labor in a mobile fashion -- maybe even get to use the labor tub. Since I am already at 4 centimeters, there is a good chance that it will be just what is needed to make labor progress quickly and smoothly.

We would love your prayers as we prepare for the birth of this sweet little one. Ideally, I'd like the baby to come naturally (I'm not loving the idea of pitocin), but ultimately we just want a safe and healthy arrival of our baby. Thanks for praying for us!

After a long wait...

...we're still waiting.

Ella (pictured above as a newborn) is still waiting to become a big sister and our new baby is still sitting quite comfortably in my womb. I never thought that I would make it to my due date let alone past it. So much for my mother's intuition! Yesterday came and went with no baby. So, I only have about 12 hours left to have a December baby and the tax-deduction that goes with it. Chances are that won't be happening...but the chances of having my doctor now are much better since she is back from vacation. I guess Baby wants Dr. Echt to be around for the big arrival.

Although the Aunties, Uncle & Cousins from Oregon are on their way home today, we've still got Auntie Aimee, Uncle Troy & Cousin Amelia to keep us company here. We're just planning on hanging out at home for a quiet New Year's Eve...unless of course the baby has other plans. We'll update the blog as soon as anything happens and we have internet access.

Happy New Year everyone!

Week 39 Check-Up

Today we headed to SB again for a check-up. Dr. Echt is on vacation until Sunday so I saw the nurse practitioner instead. Because I haven't had any significant contractions lately, she decided not to check my cervix today. The baby is situated very low and the heartbeat is normal. Afterward, I went downtown with Ella for a bit and did end up having more Braxton Hicks contractions but my guess is that it was just from all the walking we did. So far, I haven't felt anything regular, rhythmic, or labor-like. I suppose it is just as well. Brett has a writing deadline on the 28th, so it would be best if this baby held off until he was done with that anyway. We'll just keep waiting....

Last Chance to Enter the Contest

Well, if you want to enter the contest to guess Baby Piersma's Stats, you should do so today. In order to win, you must guess the sex of the baby correctly and then points will be given for who is closest in the other stats. Here are the entries that have been submitted already:

• Jessica -- Girl. December 30th. 8 pounds 8 ounces. Between midnight and 5 am (if you go naturally - I think it will be FAST) otherwise, noon, if you are induced.
• Peter -- Girl. January 1st. 8 pounds 6 ounces. 12:00 and 1 second - The very first baby of the new year (in our time zone)!!!!!!
• Troy -- Girl. December 28th. 7 pounds 8 ounces. 5:23pm
• Jamie -- Boy. December 27th. 7 pounds 7 ounces. 7:07pm - So you have a good night's sleep the night before and rested for a speedy delivery.
• Aimee -- Boy. December 28th. 8 pounds 5 ounces. 11:26pm (because it could be a long labor again)

To enter, click on "comments" at the bottom of the post and then type in your entry and your name.

Week 38: Progress

Today I had my 38 week check-up and there has been progress since last week. I am dilated to 2 centimeters...almost 3 (out of 10). Although I would like to think that means labor is right around the corner, I realize that it doesn't necessarily mean that. The nurse practitioner did say that with first babies you can usually walk around dilated for awhile and with second babies it usually happens closer to labor. But, she did NOT say be ready for this baby to come this weekend or anything like that. My doctor will be on vacation from the 23rd until right up to my due date or thereabouts. So, I have until Saturday to have my doctor deliver the baby...or wait until the due date or after. I know that the nurses play the largest role time-wise in labor, but it would still be nice to have my own doctor there. I know what to expect from her and I've never even met the other doctors who will be on call. But, I'm praying that God will provide the right medical team for the arrival of this baby and give me peace with the whole situation.

So, today has been a reminder that yes this baby will be here soon and I should get ready...you know, get a bag packed, childcare lined up, bills paid, presents wrapped, etc. That is what I'll be doing in the next few days...unless this baby has other ideas.

37 Week Check-Up & Names by Ella

Just a quick update on my latest check-up. I went to the doc on Wednesday and basically not much is happening. No dilation just yet so it looks like this baby will be hanging out awhile longer. I head back on Tuesday for another check-up.

This week, Ella has been a hoot when it comes to talking about the baby. Lately, she has been pretty consistent in saying that our baby will be a girl, or "guurll" as she says it. I keep asking her about names for the baby hoping that she will suggest something cute. Well, I guess her responses have been "cute" just not actual names! All of her suggestions have started with an "H" and some are actual words and others are made-up words. Here are just a few for your amusement:

• Hookah (No, I do not know where she learned that one.)
• Hippie (not that one either)
• Hengel
• Heenie
• Hahoonie

And no, I don't think we'll be going with any of her suggestions. I have to admit, my eyes watered a bit when she suggested Hippie and Hengel -- I was laughing pretty hard.

36-Week Check-Up

Well, I had some good news today at my check-up. I did NOT test positive for Group B Strep which means I do not need to have antibiotics during labor and delivery. One in four women has GBS so it is not unusual, but it can cause problems in newborns if they become infected. They recommend that you have antibiotics at least 4 hours prior to delivery if you do test positive. I tested positive when I was pregnant with Ella...it wasn't awful, but I'd prefer not to have to do it again. I'm just thankful that it is one less thing I need to worry about during labor.

Also, Dr. Echt decided to do an ultrasound to see how the baby is situated. From looking at my belly, she thought the baby was either breech or O.P. (head down, but face-up). Babies in the OP position tend to take longer to deliver, as was the case with Ella. Thankfully, the ultrasound showed that the baby is head-down (good news) but she couldn't tell which way the baby was facing. That part can change in the coming weeks. Dr. Echt also took some measurements and it appears that the baby is 6 pounds so she doesn't think I'll be having an almost 9-lb baby this time around.

As I head into the last 3 1/2 weeks of pregnancy, I'd love your prayers...that the baby would in the right position (head down, face-back), that the details with Ella's childcare during labor/delivery would work out well, for strength & peace during the labor process and for a healthy baby! Thank you!

35 Week Check-Up

It's hard to believe that I've got only 4 1/2 weeks to go! The way I feel, I can't imagine this baby holding out longer than that. I feel like I have ZERO space in there and this baby has some pretty strong limbs.

Yesterday I had my 35 week check-up. When I arrived, I noticed that the doctor's car wasn't in the parking lot. That usually means that she is delivering a baby, so I figured there was a chance my appointment might be canceled. Well, I was right that she was delivering a baby...but she did arrive for my appointment shortly after I did. By 10am, she had already delivered TWO babies and had THREE more first-time moms in labor. Needless to say, she was exhausted! It made me hope that this little one comes when things are quite so busy with her and at the hospital. We did the usual routine check-up stuff and she measured my growth. Surprisingly, she said I measuring more at 34 weeks than 35. At this point, I guess I shouldn't be worried about that -- but, I suppose if that pattern continues there might be cause for concern. But, I won't worry about that just yet. I'm scheduled for weekly appointments from now on and will go back next Tuesday.

In my mind, I'm looking forward to December 9th -- the day that I'm 37 weeks. Not only will the baby be "full-term" but I'll be able to deliver at my hospital of choice. It's the hospital where Ella was born, and I pre-registered there yesterday. I was able to show Ella where she'll come visit me and we got to peek at the baby in the nursery. As we left, I got excited and asked Ella if she was too. Her response: "I'm excited to go to Auntie Jill's house to play." (We were headed there after the hospital stop.) I guess she can't get too excited about something that is still a month away!

The last couple of weeks, I've had a hard time knowing what "normal" is during this pregnancy and have been worrying that I'd go into early labor. Being away from home from Thanksgiving did not help my concerns. Although, it was nice being with my family for Thanksgiving AND it was nice to sleep in every day. Papa Jack was kind enough to do "Ella Duty" so Brett and I could get extra rest. However, with every pang of discomfort, I quietly worried that I'd go into early labor. I did NOT want to have to have my baby early AND at Henry Mayo (the hospital does not have the best reputation). So, I was relieved to be back at home and near SB hospitals for that reason.

Today I found a pregnancy journal that I wrote in with Ella, and I turned to the section where I was this far along in pregnancy. It is reminding me what it was like with Ella and is helping to calm some of my fears. Strangely enough, a lot of my fears are what they were back then -- delivering early, delivering in SCV, baby's strong punches, tightening, etc. But, it was neat to see that my weight and girth gains seem to be about the same as they were the last time. One thing that is different is swelling -- with Ella my feet and ankles swelled up significantly more than this time. My sister Jamie gave me a pedicure last time and I guess my toes were pretty fat then! On Saturday, Jamie gave me another pedicure -- she said that I need to have cute feet when I'm in labor & delivery! This time, she painted my toes hot pink with a silver fleur-de-lys on each big toe. On each fleur-de-lys, she put a rhinestone -- pink on one toe, blue on the other. They look very cute and thankfully my toes aren't fat like sausages...at least not yet. We'll see what happens in the coming weeks.

33 Week Check-Up

Only 6 weeks and 5 days left to go...that is of course if the baby is punctual. Today was another basic check-up but it was a little frustrating. Ella & I were a few minutes late because of EXTREMELY slow trucks on the pass and then we had to park a few blocks away because there weren't any spots in the parking lot. Of course, I was NOT happy when we finally made it to the office and spots had opened up. Just my luck. That kind of luck continued when we had to wait for over an hour for my 5-minute appointment. Fortunately, Ella was well-behaved and there were several children's books to read. I'm not sure if the wait was because we were late or because they were just backed up with clients. It was a full-house in there which is pretty unusual compared to my recent appointments. With my first pregnancy, waiting around was standard. But this pregnancy, the waiting time has usually been minimal. Anyway, the heartbeat was strong, I'm measuring properly for this stage of the pregnancy, and the nurse practicioner said it sounds like the baby has already turned upside down. I'm just hoping and praying that this one will be faced the right way when s/he decides to come out! Other than that, there isn't much to report.

31 Week Check-Up

Not much to report today from the check-up. It was a quick & easy one as most of them are. The one interesting tidbit I did pick up was that Ella weighed 8lbs 13oz at birth according to my file at Dr. Echt's office -- not 8lbs 11oz as my little certificate from the hospital reads. So, I really don't know which one is correct. Dr. Echt said that the hospital's record is probably more accurate, but "We still want a smaller one this time." I'm not sure how I'm supposed to go about doing that. It's not like I gorge myself on sweets and carbs, but then again, I probably don't eat as many veggies as I could either. I guess we'll find out in just a little over 8 1/2 weeks! Yikes - that sounds soon! I still need to clean out some drawer space for this little nugget and get clothes washed and ready. I know I've still got plenty of time but I have a feeling that the next 8 weeks will pass sooner than I think.

29-Week Check-Up & Ella's Fever

Today was my last monthly check-up. We saw the nurse practitioner Denise and had a nice, basic check-up. For the first time in a LONG time, we were able to hear the heartbeat without a problem. I guess the baby is too big to hide right now! Now that I'm 29 weeks, I'm switching to the two-week visit schedule.

As for life with Ella, she came down with a fever on Sunday afternoon. It was strange, she was as sweet and happy as can be all that morning and then woke up from her nap with a fever and was extremely clingy. She literally sat in my lap for the rest of the day. Then yesterday she seemed fine -- back to her normal temp and happy. However, this morning, she woke up again with a fever but said she felt fine, went back to sleep for 2 hours and then woke up again with a normal temp. Of course, a couple hours later she felt hot again and now she is back to normal. I'm not quite sure what to make of it all. I guess her body may still be trying to fight something off. I guess we'll just wait and see.

And Baby Piersma is...

A GIRL!

Just kidding! We still don't know for sure. As I've mentioned in previous posts, we did not find out the sex of the baby and apparently the doctor didn't either. However, two weeks ago at MOPS, I "announced" my pregnancy to the group. At this point, it is kind of obvious but I hadn't officially announced it to the group. When you make a pregnancy announcement at MOPS, you get to draw a lollipop out of a bucket and it "predicts" what your baby will be. So, I was curious to see what the lollipop would say. As shown above, my lollipop predicts that we'll be having another girl. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

For all you loyal readers out there, we could have some fun with this. I'm announcing the first-every "Guess Baby Piersma's Stats" contest! If you want to participate, click on the "Comments" link at the end of this post and type in your guess as to what you think Baby Piersma's stats will be -- specifically:

• Boy or Girl?
• Birthdate
• Weight
• Time of birth (to be used in the unlikely event that I need a tie-breaker)

To give you a background about our previous birth experience, I went into labor around 4:20am on my due date but Ella wasn't born until the next morning at 4:49am. She weighed a healthy 8lbs 11 ounces. Perhaps that might be helpful as you make your guess, but of course every baby is different. The due date for this baby is December 30th.

I'm not sure what the prize will be...probably something inexpensive as we'll have two sets of diapers to buy if Ella isn't potty trained by then! I look forward to reading your guesses.

I've been spared...

Yeah, I've been spared -- I do not need to take the 3-hour glucose test tomorrow! My results from the hemoglobin test came back completely normal. I'm not really sure why they don't just have women take the hemoglobin test instead -- it sounds like it is a much better reflection of what is really going on in your blood. Seriously, what woman would normally starve herself for 8 hours, ingest huge amounts of sugar and then sits for an hour (or hours) like she does during the glucose test?! It's just not natural! My mom suggested that the hemoglobin might be a more expensive test. I guess I could check that out when we get the insurance statement.

So, instead of being tortured with copious amounts of sugar and four blood draws, I'll just get to visit with my parents who were planning on coming up for Ella-sitting. This weekend is Danish Days in Solvang, so we'll probably take in some of the festivities if it doesn't rain. Now, I can eat some aebelskivers (Danish ball-like pancakes with jam) without feeling too guilty!

25 Week Check-up

My friend Jill kindly offered to watch Ella today while I went to see Dr. Echt for my regular appointment. It worked out great because I needed to talk to Dr. Echt about my glucose test and Ella would have been a bit distracting. Dr. Echt's first words to me this morning were, "How did you fail the glucose test so badly?!" Apparently, my score was 195 where it should have been around 130 (I think). So, we took a look back at my 3-hour results from my pregnancy with Ella and all of those scores were actually very low rather than abnormally high.

So, Dr. Echt offered me an option that might help me avoid the 3-hour test that I was planning on taking later this week. Tomorrow I need to go for a Hemoglobin A1c test -- just a simple blood draw after an 8-hour fast. It's a common blood test for people with diabetes that measures the average sugar in your blood over the past 2 - 3 months. Then on Thursday I'll call the office for my results. If the result is low enough, I will get to skip the 3-hour test. Otherwise I'll be taking that test on Friday. If I fail those tests then I will need to go on a diabetic diet for the remainder of the pregnancy. Hopefully, it won't come to that.

Other than that, everything was pretty standard at the appointment. Of course, Baby Piersma didn't cooperate AGAIN and she needed to use the ultrasound to see the heartbeat. But, everything checked out okay.