day 4 -- the hospital stay is coming to a close...

Today was a far different day than yesterday. We had a car seat, a little more sleep, and our girl was crying pretty much only when hungry (and sleeping frequently.) It was a good way to start.

The biggest challenge right now is in getting our girl fed without torturing her Mama. Fortunately the lactation consultant and all of the nurses have said that things look very good, so it's just a matter of practice and Shelby's body parts toughening up with the hard use. Hopefully after a week or so the current painful feeds will live on only in our memories.

Shelby's pain level has been a little higher at times, but this is mostly due to the change in medications from IV to oral. She's an amazingly fast healer so I suspect this will change quickly. She's been doing her laps around the corridor and really looks amazingly good.

Riley and Grammy came for a visit again today. We got some great pictures of Riley with Kendall on his lap. He is such a sweet boy and really seems to care for his sister. I think he understands that Kendall will be coming to live with us, and I hope he understands that we'll all be coming home to stay tomorrow. Some pictures:

Riley and Grammy drawing a house















Big Brother and his new Sister















Riley gives Kendall a kiss















The last few days have been tough ones for our boy. He's had times when he's been separated from Mama for a few days but he's never had this kind of separation from both of us. Fortunately Shelby's Mom has been there to take care of him and it seems that a bond has truly developed between the two of them. He's been for the most part his usual, happy go lucky self. Shelby and I both miss him dearly and are looking forward to being back home as a full family unit.

The other happening during our blur of infant feedings today was a visit from our pastor, Rick Downs as well as Chad and Kathryn Baldanza. The three were visiting another couple who have a son in the hospital (who is doing well.) Rick was actually calling me to see if we were home. It was a nice surprise for all that we were still here. Having visitors is a wonderful thing during times like this. Yesterday we were treated to a visit with our friends Alecia and Aimee. It's great to be able to share the excitement of having a new baby with our friends and it makes the day more fun. For me it makes it seem less like the walls are closing in on me when I have fresh faces around.

I have to say that the stay here at Beverly Hospital has been very pleasant. The staff here has been tremendous. In particular the nurses in the "Beautiful Beginnings" maternity ward have been a joy and have delivered service above and beyond the call of duty. From extra help with nursing problems to bringing around a "snack cart" in the evening these ladies have been nothing short of amazing. We've now had two very different experiences here (fortunately this one was different) but both were very positive. Thank you all very, very much.

The last surprise that we got here was something new since our last visit. On a couple's last night here they are given a "Celebration Dinner". This is a meal worthy of any good restaurant delivered to the mom and dad on their last night at the hospital. We had antipasto, Shelby had Beef Wellington with pesto mashed potatoes and perfectly cooked asparagus, and I had baked scallops with broccoli and seasoned rice with veggies. Shelby had Merlot, and I had a tasty Fisherman's Ale. Spring water and rolls were included. The meal finished with a delicious Molten Chocolate Cake. Yum! It was a great way to cap off a great experience.


Celebration Dinner













Great Dessert!















So tomorrow it's off to establish the new normal. Although this is something that has filled us full of trepidation at times, we're looking forward to seeing what it will be like. We're definitely ready to be back sleeping in our own bed once again.

Off to a new adventure. Stay tuned...


Jonathan & Shelby

day 3 -- postpartum ups & downs

(stress + meltdown = hypertension) + prayer = (provision + gratitude + peace)

Shelby's pregnancy-induced hypertension returned with a roar overnight last night. This morning it was even higher. It didn't take long for us to realize that the stress of healing from major surgery, postpartum hormonal changes, missing her firstborn, breastfeeding challenges and adjusting to a baby who cries a lot more than Riley was finally taking its toll. After the visiting pediatrician told her that she should begin nursing Kendall every 2 hours rather than 3, that pretty much did it for her. Those of you who know of the pain of nursing in the early days can feel her dread at the thought of doing it 12x per day instead of 8. All this produced a meltdown around mid-morning...not long before our first visitors were due to arrive.

The highest blood pressure reading occurred just after she found out that our infant car seat could not be found. Neither of us can figure out what happened to it as it wasn't something that we loaned out and we have all the other parts that go with the car seat, such as the base, headrest & stroller. Her BP was 150/110, a far cry from the 120/80 or less that she normally has.

Finding out that Riley shed a few tears over the thought that he might not get to see his mama didn't help (his trip was delayed today, not canceled). She makes a great effort to pay attention to him when he comes and it broke her heart that he was missing her enough to shed some quiet tears over it. Seeing how much my boy loves his mama, made me love him even more.

So prayers were needed to a) find a car seat that could replace our missing one and b) peace over the other things for which we have little to no control over.

She did have the sense to ignore the (male) doctor who would be insensitive and short-sighted enough to add yet another burden on to a new mother. Even the nurses were rolling their eyes at his suggestion that she nurse more frequently. Newborns have a normal drop in body weight prior to a mother's milk coming in on day 3-5, so Kendall's was totally normal. Even if it had been a dramatic loss (it wasn't), we would have been fine with supplementing with formula for a couple of days to bring Kendall's weight up.

By the early evening, our prayers for a car seat were answered when two of our friends offered to let us use theirs. One is being delivered tonight (thank you Lisa!).

Additionally, Shelby enjoyed a long visit with Riley this afternoon and Kendall was a more content baby. I was able to employ some of the "Happiest Baby on the Block" techniques that were never needed with Riley, but seem to help with Kendall.

Shelby also got some encouraging feedback from the lactation consultant so this is helping her though the first week of breastfeeding in which it can be quite painful. Kendall seems to be taking to it well, so we expect that things will get better in the coming days.

By the end of the day, Shelby's blood pressure had fallen to 118/72, a sure sign that her stress level had also fallen as these prayers were answered.

Even though the experience of having a child is far easier this time than last (we actually spend our days doing normal stuff rather than in intensive care) we're still finding ourselves stretched thin. There are plenty of good parts to the day, but even so it seems that the stress level can push into the 'red zone' very easily. During the 'downs' we are very glad to know a God who tells us that He will never give us more than we can handle. For that, and for His workings in everything we do we are very, very grateful.

Jonathan & Shelby

day 2 updates

Things are going well for the Berg family as we get acquainted with our newest addition. Kendall is already proving to be a girl who knows how to speak her mind. (Now, to learn how to interpret her cues...) All of her checkups and evaluations look great so we're thankful to have so far avoided the drama that accompanied Riley's birth. She's learning the fine art of breastfeeding and Mama hopes to avoid using some of the props that were needed with Riley in order to sustain it longer than the 5 months before her milk supply ran out.

Shelby continues to heal more rapidly than the last "section" she underwent. She was able to walk around the corridor last night and today, the nurse took her off the IV pole and removed her catheter. She was anxious to have the freedom to walk around and get her circulation moving and has done four laps total around the unit in addition to her many trips to the bathroom. She had the nurses amazed at how well she was doing just one day after her surgery. Her nurse said she was a "model section", which made her day. She did feel a little more pain at her incision in the late-afternoon -- probably due to that extra lap that she did around lunchtime.

Tonight, she will get the last of her pain-meds via IV and it will be removed. She's looking forward to a shower with no foreign objects stuck in her body. Her blood pressure has fallen to normal levels so there's no more concern of pre-enclampsia. Now, she's just trying to flush out the excess fluid which will relieve the carpel tunnel that has been plaguing her for over three months.

Shelby's Mom and Riley have been coming to visit for a few hours in which Grammy gets her Kendall time and Riley gets his mama/daddy time. We sure do miss him and look forward to being together in the house starting next week. It's sweet to see Riley give Kendall good-bye kisses, last night he did it totally unsolicited. When Grammy asked him today who they were going to see, he answered "dall", mama, dada!! So Kendall's already first in the list. That's our sweet boy.

We'll leave you with a couple of pictures:

Kendall, day two















Daddy time
















Jonathan & Shelby

kendall acadia berg

Kendall came into our lives today at 10:02 am. She entered the world loudly, making sure everyone knew she was here. She's a beautiful, healthy girl with a gorgeous head of light brown hair. Vital stats: weight - 7 lbs 14 oz, length - 20 inches. Mama did very well and is recovering quickly. Shelby actually feels far better than she did after Riley's birth, so we are hoping for a rapid recovery.

We had some family time this afternoon where Shelby's Mom and Riley came to visit us at the hospital for a while. Riley was so cute with his sister, giving her a kiss early on and also and unsolicited kiss goodbye. Very cute. We think he's going to be a great older brother.

We'll have much more in the future, for now though we'll just leave you with some pictures and a quick video.

She came out screaming!















She calmed down quickly though















Weigh in















Exam time















Pretty girl















Quality time in the recovery room















Riley took to his sister right away, giving her a big kiss















Grammy got to spend some time with her newest granddaughter















Riley and Mama hanging out, they both missed each other















Riley played in his "fort"















View from the fort















Watching Blue's Clues on daddy's iPod















Family time















Berg family shot















Last but not least, a little video from exam time

We love our new girl!


Jonathan, Shelby & Riley

thots on the last day of pregnancy

Well, the dim hope that I might go into labor and avoid a C-section is fading fast. It’s looking like sometime after 9am tomorrow, we will be seeing our sweet Kendall in the flesh. Though I’m not excited about having major abdominal surgery, I will feel better knowing that Kendall’s not going to experience the same labor trauma that Riley did.

I’ve been feeling something like homesickness as I realize that life is about to change dramatically again. While I know children change your life and I wasn’t surprised by this with Riley, I think I’m less emotionally prepared for the changes that come with having another child to love and care for.

I don't have the same attachment to Kendall-in-the-womb as I had with Riley. Maybe it’s due to being more distracted this time around. Maybe it’s simply the fact that I've had almost three years already to know my son. All I know is that I feel a more ambivalent about the changes coming tomorrow.

I think this is a normal thing that parents experience. When you think you just don’t have room in your heart for another child, your heart just seems to expand and make room for them anyway. I suspect this will happen for me when I hold my baby girl for the first time – that 20 ton sledgehammer of love that J describes will hit me with Kendall too. How can it not, she being flesh of my flesh?

One of the neat things that we've been seeing is Riley's spontaneous affection. He gives me kisses and hugs without my asking and enjoys snuggling with me on the couch as we play or watch TV. Even with our one-sided conversations, I can tell that he’s understanding me and attempting to communicate to the best of his ability. I cherish the afternoons and weekends that we have playing, teaching and learning together and watching him grow and develop. I feel very blessed and lucky to be his mom.

And it turns out that he does have some of my traits after all. His focus, his sense of order and symmetry all come from his mama with the penchant for detail & organization. After mastering all of his puzzles, he has begun playing more with his Lego Duplo set. He designs letters, builds houses and makes some cool patterns of various colors and sizes that are perfectly symmetrical. He makes a treehouse in which he enacts the scene from Veggie Tales’ Madame Blueberry in which her house get tossed out of the tree into a parking lot after it’s emptied of all the stuff she thought would make her happy. This sends him into convulsive laughter, which is infectious and absolutely adorable. Man, I love this kid.













All this to say, I find myself mourning the loss of our Riley-Mama time. I know that I’ll still have those sweet moments, just more infrequent and shorter in duration. It almost feels a bit like seeing him begin a new stage of life and my having to adapt to it. It feels like the end of an era of sorts.

So please keep J and I in your prayers as we prepare for Kendall’s birth day tomorrow morning. Pray for successful surgery tomorrow morning and for Kendall’s health. Pray for Riley as he adapts to his baby sister and for my mom who will be doing the care-giving during my time at Beverly Hospital (4 days). We welcome visitors for those that are in the area.

We’ll be posting pics and news from the hospital on Facebook and then here, so please stay tuned!

Love,

Shelby and Jonathan

t minus 6 days (at most)

The ironic thing about being put on bed rest is that my time spent in the birth center, lab & hospital goes up considerably due to all the tests I’m subjected to. Tuesday, I spent 3 hours there and yesterday I was gone for 5 hours, primarily due to another u/s. Thankfully, all tests are coming back with the results we had hoped for – Kendall’s doing well and I’ve only got hypertension at this point. They’ll test us both again on Monday.

My blood pressure continues to be high however, even on bed rest. In light of this, I had a long talk with my mid-wife on Thursday. I shared my concern that as my history with Riley is repeating itself with Kendall, I’m not comfortable bringing my pregnancy to 39 weeks, as that was when Riley suffered fetal distress that led to his stroke. As much as I was hoping to avoid a C-section and have the experience of a natural childbirth, I don’t want to put Kendall at risk of experiencing anything that Riley did, if it was at all related to my hypertension.

So I asked her if we could plan on a repeat C-section later on next week, if I don’t go into labor before then. She consulted with the obstetrician and he agreed to it. So, we have a birth day scheduled for Thursday, March 18th. I’ll be 38 weeks and 3 days at that point. Ideally, they like to see me go to 39 weeks to ensure optimal lung maturation, but they’re willing to do it 4 days early due to my history, current condition and that girl’s lungs tend to mature faster than boy’s do. Yep, that girls-mature-faster-than-boys thing starts in utero, apparently. Mom thinks it's due to their desire to communicate as early as possible!

It’s good to know that the end is near and that we’ll get to see Kendall-girl very soon. Can I get a woo hoo??!!

Shelby

déjà vu

I had my weekly midwife appointment this afternoon and she found that I’m retaining fluid and my blood pressure is up again. So she sent me over to the hospital for a fetal non-stress test and preeclampsia screening. The former is a non-invasive test that monitors fetal movements and heart rate in response to those movements. They also monitored my blood pressure.

After an additional two hours at the hospital, I was advised that I could go home (THAT was in question??) However, I have been ordered on bed rest until delivery. I don’t have preeclampsia, but they’ll continue to monitor me closely and keep checking for it.

The nine hours at work in an upright position isn’t helping with the rising BP and fluid levels. So, just like last time, I’m on bed rest at 37 weeks. I’m beginning to think that I’m just not made for pregnancy. My body seems to reject the foreign entity living in my womb and responds in a vascular sort of way.

I can’t help but be concerned that if I wait to go into labor naturally that I’m risking the possibility that Kendall will suffer the fetal distress that Riley did, leading to the stroke that Riley had or some other issue. Now that I’m having the same BP & fluid retention that I had before, I’m feeling less excited about waiting the pregnancy out and trying for a VBAC. I’ve been hoping to have a natural labor & delivery and avoid another C-section, but after today, I’m considering the option of an elective C-section if things continue as is.

I’m going back in for another check up on Thursday and I’ll discuss my options with the midwife at that point. The goal is a healthy baby, so if surgery seems to be the best option in my circumstance then I’m more open to it this time around.

We’ll keep you posted on developments…

Shelby

37 weeks

That's T-3 to due date (yee haw!)

Well, I’ve finally made it to the home stretch – Kendall is now full term. We're starting to get down to the business of getting ready for her arrival. I've washed a few newborn items and bought a pack of diapers. I've started hunting down all my nursing "stuff". Jonathan was cleaning floors this weekend. He'll be making some extra food for the freezer and installing the infant seat.

As you may imagine, I’m quite uncomfortable now and sleep isn’t a "given" anymore. I’m constantly out of breath, even when I’m just standing around talking. Carpel tunnel & restless leg syndrome continue to be my daily companions. Oy.

On the positive side, my edema isn’t as bad this time around – at this point with Riley I was 20 lbs heavier and wearing sandals that were two sizes larger, so I’m not as miserable as I was then. I could still zip up my knee boots last Thursday. That seems to be my litmus test as to how much swelling I have.

At last week’s appointment, my blood pressure was elevated to 140/87 so I’ll be making weekly donations of blood and urine to check for signs of preenclampsia. Fun times, I tell ya. The hypertention is mild and seems to be related to my body position. If I lie down on my side for a couple of minutes, it goes back down to normal. So as long as my bp stays steady and I don’t show any other symptoms, I should be allowed for to work for the next couple of weeks as planned.

My biggest concern right now is that Riley is taken care of when we head to the hospital. Since my previous labor was less than 6 hours, I am working on the assumption that this one may be quicker, as second labors often are. Our dear friend Betsy – Riley’s third Grandma -- is planning to come down from Newburyport, but there may be a few hours delay from the time she gets our call and her arrival at our house. Ahh…the practical benefits of having family nearby to help at a moment’s notice. Mom is arriving the week before my due date, so it would be great if Kendall held out until then. But dang, it would be nice to be done before then too… We have friends willing to help during the next couple of weeks and pray that their kids/jobs/distance challenges will not be a problem on delivery day.

People ask me if Riley’s excited about having a baby sister. Since he doesn’t speak well yet, it’s hard to know how much he understands. He knows there’s a baby in mama’s tummy and that her name is Kendall, but it may be too abstract a concept for him to grasp. To make it a little less so, I showed him some of the birth segments from “The Business of Being Born” which he enjoyed. Regardless, it will be reality for him soon and I’m sure he’ll be a great big brother.

In parting, here’s the latest pic of me and my burgeoning belly:
















Shelby