Introducing Zoey Faith Duiker!

We have a new addition to the family! Zoey Faith Duiker was born March 29th at 11:32pm. She weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces and was 20.2 inches long. I apologize for the delay in posting about the birth, but as any new mom knows finding time where you are not attached to baby is a little tricky. Usually when the time arises, it's nap time :) As well, I've been thinking a lot about how on earth do I describe everything that happened and what a whirlwind it has and continues to be! I'll give it my best shot!

Well we went in for our appointment at nearly two weeks overdue on Monday March 29th. We were planning on having an induction date set for the following day. Henry had stay home with me that day as I was having pretty regular contractions and he figured there wasn't much point in going to work to just turn around and come home when I called him. It turns out that while that never happened it was a blessing to have him home with me and enjoy what was our last days just us :)

We got to the doctors office and you know your a little overdue when the staff look at you and say, you're still here?? Good times :) The nurse took my blood pressure mid contraction (something that happened through the entire labor) so I continued to hear comments about my 'elevated' blood pressure. I kept thinking, "um...well ya". My doctor came in and checked me, and said I was about 2 - 3cms dilated, which was a welcome change from the 1cm I had been stuck at for over a week. He looked at us and said, "Well guys I'm on call tonight till 5am. If you want you can head to the hospital and I'll break your water and we'll get things going for you." Henry and I were in a bit of shock, but we decided that we wanted to get things going and now was as good a time as any! He said good, and to meet him at the hospital in an hour. We both had kind of a 'holy crap' moment as we processed what was happening. It also turned out that the exam triggered much stronger contractions by itself. By the time we made it to the hospital I was really starting to feel them. They stuck us in the exam room and monitored her for a little while and then the doctor came in and he broke my water. So this whole process is gross. They broke and I had a ton of fluid drain and I thought that might be the end of it. Not by a long shot. When the tech had said the week before that I had a lot of fluid, he was not kidding! The entire labor was punctuated with me having to say, "um sorry I'm leaking again" I learned really quickly, dignity has no place in labor.

They moved me to the delivery suite and I thought, okay now we can relax and enjoy this process a little. Not the case. I was blindsided with contractions that suddenly were so intense and did not stop. I was desperate for the ability to breath or re group in between the contractions. They made me sick before I could make it into the shower. Again...no dignity :) The shower was definitely pleasant and helped a little but by the time I was at the place with no ability to regroup, its effect was gone. It had only been about two hours and I was overwhelmed with the reality that this would not likely get any better, rather it would get worse. I wasn't sure if I could have energy left to push after everything, especially if this continued much longer. I looked at Henry who was just sick seeing me like that, and I told him I wasn't sure if I could do it. We had talked lots about what we hoped would happen but we never said absolutely not on the epidural front. He had actually told me in the assessment room when they were getting bad that he really needed me to know that it was okay if I needed something at some point.

The nurse came in and started to talk with us about our options, which was really hard to fully process while in the midst of such pain. I finally said, you know what lets go for the epidural. It was good timing as the anesthesiologist was on the floor and was there in ten minutes. When they checked me before hooking me up I had not progressed at all. I was so frustrated. I was in so much pain and my body wasn't doing anything with it! They hooked me up with the ok from the doctor and honestly, I felt so good so fast. Henry said my color came back I was smiling, talking, and joking around. I had a contraction while he was putting the epidural in and he gave a burst of medicine in the middle and I just felt it fade away. Bliss. I admit I was a little scared that I was making the wrong decision at points, that it might slow everything down, but it turns out it was the best possible decision I could have made for myself. In less than an hour I went from 2 - 3cm to 6 - 7cm. The doctor figured that it would help since my body was so tense from the pain and it was preventing progress from occurring. Once I was able to relax, things moved along really fast. So Henry and I were able to relax and watch an episode or two of 'How I Met Your Mother'. I felt so good.

After a short time I told the nurse that I felt a lot of pressure on my bottom. I thought my epidural was wearing off, but it turns out her head was right there and she was ready to go. The nurse check and once she realized she said they would put in a call to the doctor and get me to push for a little while before he got there since it would likely take some time. Well after two pushes she saw her head and I had to stop. Now you wouldn't think so, but holding back from pushing once your body takes over is wicked hard.... for me, harder than the actual pushing. It seemed like it took the doctor an hour to get there but in reality it was only ten minutes or so. He told me to get pushing again and she was delivered in just a few minutes. The next hour is a bit of a blur, but I do remember Henry going over to see her, taking pictures, and us just kind of in awe. Oh that and the stitches...more on that another time :)

So there you have it. Our precious baby girl is finally here and through all the fear, sleeplessness, and chaos we are utterly in love with her and could not be happier!

Final Ultrasound and a Possible End in Sight

We went for our BioPhysical Profile yesterday. As I mentioned in the last post they wanted to get an idea of her overall health, activity levels, and fluid levels to make sure she was still doing okay in there. The only reason they would be concerned at all is due to the fact that I am currently 41 weeks and that is consider 'OverDue'. My doctor really isn't the type to get jumpy about inducing right away so that's been really nice. We have not felt pressured at all to get her out right away. He just wants to know that's she's healthy and is perfectly comfortable letting the pregnancy continue. However, after speaking with him at the hospital after the test, it does look like we have an end date in sight. We asked when his cut off was for continuing and he said that around 42 he does start to think more seriously about inducing. So after some discussion and realizing that Easter is next weekend already (hokie smokes!) that earlier next week if she doesn't make an appearance on her own is when we are likely going to book. I will see him on Monday and make an appointment for Tuesday is what we have decided. Now, even though this isn't what we hoped would happen, we are comfortable with the choice and have not felt pressured what so ever to go ahead with an induction. We feel comfortable and peaceful with the timing if this is what it comes too. However, we are still definitely okay with her deciding to come on out herself :)
So apparently I have a good deal of fluid still for her to float around in. The tech told us that I might want to sleep with a towel under me just in case because there is going to be a lot of fluid if my water does break. Awesome....pregnancy and labor is so dignified! She does have her head down nice and low and after a fourth check we were told that he would be completely shocked if it wasn't a girl. He showed us on the screen what they look for and based on his explanation, I'm fairly confident as well. Me being so qualified and all :) Overall, out of a possible score of 10, she rated a 10 which is great to hear. She is healthy, and hopefully happy. Although we don't think she liked the monitors they strapped on my belly for the half hour. She kept squirming and wiggling almost as if to say, "Get these things off!". She probably thought that Henry was picking on her again :) Those two....already! Honestly, he is so in love with her already. I know a lot of people are waiting to hold her but Henry has dibs. As far as I am concerned he can hold her for as long and as often as he possibly can. This little girl may not know it yet, but she is so completely loved by her daddy already and he cannot wait to see her and hold her. She is a very very lucky little girl.

So it looks like maybe Tuesday we will get to see her, if not sooner, and thus will bring an end to this journey and we will begin the new one! I'll have to change the name of the blog but rest assured I will have a lot of stories and updates even after the jellybean has made her appearance!

Hanging Out......Waiting For Baby

Well.... I'm still pregnant :)

We had an appointment yesterday and I was a little discouraged to find out there had been no change since last week. He did say that the fact that I have symptoms is a good thing and the cervix is softening so if we get to the induction point he feel optimistic that it won't be too hard to get things going.

He isn't a huge fan of induction without a good reason. He said induction for your first delivery can be a bit of a gong show. So we are going for a Biophysical Profile tomorrow. They will score her out of 10 and evaluate how she is doing and her fluid levels. From there we will decide what the plan is. We are ultimately hoping that she will come on her own as this would fit with our birth plan and if she is healthy and in no danger than why not let her hang out in there for a little longer. However, if our doctor tells us that the score is lower than he would like and for her safety we need to induce, of course we will set an induction date. So basically, we are just waiting for tomorrow to see what happens.

Patience is something I am still learning and I am still surprised that I am okay with waiting. I am not saying that it isn't hard and that we cannot wait to see her and have that moment with her, but I am feeling okay with waiting.....most of the time :) It's a little harder when you start to get really uncomfortable with the extra weight, the swelling that is now happening, and general muscle pain from pregnancy overall. Still, as I keep saying, it really could be much worse. It's been a healthy pregnancy with a very limit number of the worst symptoms and most importantly she is growing and is healthy.

The sun is peaking out finally through the fog so I think it is time to go for a walk and enjoy the day :)

Overdue and Waiting

Well we are overdue and that's okay, but we are trying a few of the natural methods that sometimes work to induce or encourage labor. Last Friday I had a massage that worked on loosening the hips. I felt incredible, I have never had a massage before so even though it didn't induce me it sure felt good. I had no idea my hips were so sore!
I've also been drinking Raspberry Leaf Tea in the morning. My mom picked me up some and I ran out of Chai Tea so I'm drinking it. It actually doesn't taste that bad :) It can't hurt anything to try right?
Today I went to get some acupuncture done. My Mother in Law called last night and asked if I wanted an appointment made. We decided it really couldn't hurt to give it a try. So I went this morning and I was really curious to give it a try. It didn't hurt at all and it I found it basically relaxing to hang out. The Physio who did the procedure for me had it done for her in her second pregnancy and within two hours she said she first started feeling significant contractions within two hours. So we are not quite at two hours and there is a ton of movement right now, but I also did just ingest some chocolate :) I have two pins still in my ear that she said to press on every now and again. One is apparently linked to relaxation and the other to my uterus. Not going to get my hopes up, but really there is no reason this couldn't work.

We have a lot of people waiting to meet her so little girl needs to start getting ready to come on out :)

Due Today

No baby yet but we shall see!

Feeling really kind of irritable and feeling bad for that, but I am enjoying the quiet for now, the little bits of me time I guess you could say. Lots of long walks trying to help things along and hanging out on my exercise ball.

Loads and loads of pressure to be felt good and low and I had my 'Bloody Show' yesterday. Cause I'm sure everyone wanted to know that :) So I am feeling like it could happen anytime now.....still trying to be patient though.

I told Henry and my sister that today I am not answering to phone to answer the question, "Have you had the baby yet?" Too funny. Like I said, I promise as soon as I can let people know, people will know :) We are over the moon excited to share her with friends and family and the beauty of facebook and the internet is we can do that really quickly for people. So keep your eyes peeled for the announcement once I have one :)

Can't wait :)

39 Weeks and Being Patient

Easier said than done! But I have been surprised by my level of patience in waiting for our little one. This is not something that comes easily to me but I have felt since the beginning that God has taken this experience to teach it to me. I have to trust that His timing in her arrival is better than what I want to happen, and so I wait. I know that regardless, she will come so it's not like if she doesn't hurry I will never see her. So I have taken my dear friends advice and I am enjoy the last ounces of me time that are available to me. Lots of walks outside with Zeppelin, Working my way through 'Dexter' (a show my sister has on DVD and that was recommended by people I trust in this department :), Cleaning and organizing, and just relaxing a little. I am still sleeping through the night and I am soaking that all in since I know that that luxury will disappear.



I must say that I have been incredibly touched by how much she means to others already. So many have expressed their excitement for her arrival. Our families are over the moon excited and I think our little girl is going to be very lucky that way :) You know her arrival is eagerly awaited when your mother in law calls Henry's cell, he doesn't answer, and I get a call at home only slightly flustered because she thought we went into labor and didn't tell her yet :) Or when I call my mom to verify a spelling and she sighs because she thought I might have called for another reason :) To my family, I promise you will know as soon as I can possibly let you know and to my dear friends, my sister has instructions to update my facebook once we know what the scoop is, so everyone will stay as firmly in the loop as I can manage :)

The doctor says I am dilated but didn't mention how much, which leads me to believe there isn't a measurement for "Hardly" but I'll take it :) It means that the contractions I've been having fairly regularly have been doing something at least. They are slowly increasing but it's been over a number of days that this has been happening. My body is just prepping or practicing :) The walking is good for me the doctor says, gets me ready for labor and brings her down even more. She is still wiggling away in there but I can tell she is starting to run out of room. I keep telling her we have tons of space out here, but she's like her daddy that way, prefers to be curled up and warm than have space and potentially cold. Can't say that I blame her too much :)

It was my sister's birthday on Monday and we had a 'Weekend Extravaganza' to celebrate :) Went to see Alice in Wonderland on Saturday and really enjoyed it. I have always enjoyed Alice in Wonderland, especially since taking my Children's Lit class back in college. There is a great deal of richness to the story, as long as you can remove the author from the equation. Lewis Carroll was a bit of a....creep, but many great authors are :) Anyways, we really enjoyed that. On Sunday we watched the Oscars and had supper with the family and Lewis, who basically is family :) Then Monday we just kind of relaxed handed out her presents, had supper, and watch 24. Nice a low key after such an extravagant weekend :) The big 23....my we are getting old ;)


Time to get off my butt and get some walking in today. We shall see if mom is right today. Henry told me to hold off just long enough so it's officially Thursday....what a stinker :)

Let The Countdown Begin!

Nearly there! Tomorrow we hit 38 weeks. The due date is coming up really quickly but as much as I'de love to have a St. Patty's baby I'm thinking that may not happen. Our doctor seemed convinced that we will go into labor any day now, which is a little crazy! I just kind of assumed that nothing would happen at all until close to the due date (which may still happen!). Yesterday I had my weekly check and he just looked at me and said, "So Ashley just have the baby already, okay." lol I thought that was pretty funny. I'm working on it though! My nesting has kicked into full gear since I am now officially on Mat leave, which means I have the time to organize, clean, bake, and do all those things I wanted to get ready. Maybe even fit in a nap or two :)

We have the crib now finally and are feeling like the nursery is ready to go for baby girl. Obviously, still a few little things to get set but I am feeling good about what we have accomplished and ready.




As you can see, Zeppelin is very intrigued by the changes in the new room and is a little obsessed with some of the toys we have for her. He's slowly learning that some toys are not his....slowly :) But I think that will be the biggest problem we have with him and the new baby. He's a really good boy with children and little ones. We've never felt worried about that aspect which is really nice! Sometimes if I'm playing with him and he starts to growl I pull him over to my belly so he growls right next to her, hopefully that way she won't be bothered by the sound of him. Who knows :) Maybe it will work!

I've said all along that I've been very lucky with this pregnancy. I haven't had a lot to complain about and have avoided the majority of the common pregnancy ailments. However, I will say that as the weeks have gone on lately, I am getting a little more uncomfortable. I have a spot on my side that is really getting painful. If I have to cough I find myself bracing for it, either her feet have planted themselves up in there or its just a muscle that doesn't want to release due to the pressure. Either way, it's a little unpleasant. As well, getting up from lying down or even sitting down now is a lot more work! Poor Henry, every time I have to roll over at night it's a bit of a production. This morning I had to leverage myself by pushing on him to get up lol He's a trooper though and so sweet.

I'm trying really hard this week to stay active. The past few weeks have been very busy and sedentary due to a need to get things wrapped up with work before I finished. That meant that I didn't get a lot of walking in or activity at all and I can tell now. I'm really excited about this GORGEOUS weather and being outside for little walks and finally getting back on my treadmill for the first time in months. Even just getting things done around the house feels really good because it's active. As well, I figure its positive no matter how you look at it. If labor is starting, it will help out and if not than it's helping me strengthen my body for labor that is coming.

Well, wish me luck! :) I'll be sure to update everyone on any progress and post pictures once we have them! Can't wait to meet her :)

p.s The Gold Medal Game nearly sent me straight into labor! The most amazing game EVER! I love hockey!! :)