Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Going into the last month....

So another doctors appointment today. Kaitlyn is still very healthy and doing well, but the pregnancy is starting to take a toll on Cyndi. The doctor wants Cyndi to start thinking about not going to work and going onto some bed rest. We have managed to stave that off for at least another week, with the promise that Cyndi's work is not strenuous and that she can put her feet up. We had some lab work done today, because Cyndi's blood pressure is slightly elevated, we'll know more about that next week. With that being said we are now going to the doctor weekly for the duration. Later this week we will be going to pick up the last large piece of the nursery, the dresser/changing table combo. Lets hope that I can fit it in the trunk and that I can put it together quickly. Really working hard to get the baby's room mostly ready this week, just in case. Now that the baby is considered full term, pretty much anything could happen between now and the "expected" due date.

So during this time, we'll be taking it easy on weekends, Cyndi will be leaving work early here and there, and generally just waiting. We will post again after next weeks appointment, and if the big day comes unexpectedly I will post some short blogs from the hospital (luckily they have wi fi). Alright, that's it for now. Hope all is well with everybody.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Tour of Birthing Center

We had another doctor's appointment yesterday morning. According to our calculations, I am 33 weeks, but according to the doctor, I am 34 weeks. Either way, everything is looking good and our next appointment is in two weeks.

Last night, we also had a tour of the new birthing center at Maine Medical Center, where I will be having Kaitlyn. The center is brand new, it just opened at the beginning of September. It is it's own separate wing of the hospital and has it's own security desk. When I arrive at the hospital, Kevin and I have to show ID and will get "mom" and "dad" stickers until we are checked in and issued wrist bands that will correspond to the baby's. If anyone comes with us or comes to visit, they also have to show ID and will receive "visitor" stickers with their photo on them.

The first floor of the center is the prenatal unit. This is for women with pregnancy complications who need to be admitted before they go into labor. The third floor is the NICU.

The second floor contains triage, the labor and delivery rooms and the ORs. When I arrive, I will be checked into one of the private rooms in triage where I will be accessed to determine if I am in active labor or if I am going to be sent home for a false alarm. All of the triage rooms have private bathrooms and flat screen TVs. If I am in active labor, I get walked across the hall to the labor and delivery rooms. All of these rooms are private rooms with private bathrooms and showers. Each of the rooms also have Jacuzzis, birthing balls, flat screen TVs, and CD players. The lighting in the rooms can be dimmed and massage therapy is offered. There is also a couch that can be made into a bed for Kevin. Kaitlyn and I will stay in these rooms until about two hours after delivery.

After we leave the labor and delivery room, we head up to the fourth floor where the mother and baby rooms are as well as the nursery. Maine Med keeps mothers for 2 days after a vaginal delivery and 3-4 days after a C-section. Kaitlyn will in all likelihood be in the room with me. There is a nursery, but this is for babies who need special monitoring, but aren't sick enough for the NICU. All healthy babies stay in the room with their mothers. Again, there are private rooms and bathrooms. These rooms have flat screen TVs, DVD players, CD players and Wi-Fi. So, we will be able to get Kaitlyn's first photo up on the blog within hours of her birth! There are couches in these rooms as well, and the nurses will bring pillows and blankets, so Kevin will be able to stay in the room with us if he wants to! I won't have to eat nasty hospital cafeteria food either! The birthing center employs its own chef and has a room service menu. My food is charged to the hospital bill and insurance. If Kevin wants to order off of the menu, it costs $5 for breakfast and $7 for lunch or dinner. If we choose to, we can also order takeout as long as dad is willing to go down to the security desk to pick up the food.

All in all, we are pretty excited as the center is great! Now if only I can get over the whole fear of labor!

Monday, October 6, 2008

Pediatrician

Hello all just wanted to leave a quick update for everybody. We met with a pediatrician last week for the prenatal visit, and everything went well. The doctor was very nice, and explained the whole process to us starting from the hospital going through the first two years of Kaitlyn's life. The doctor will visit with us every day Cyndi is in the hospital following birth, and probably best yet is that the pediatrics office is getting ready to move to a brand new building in downtown Portland so not only will it be a new space but there will be new equipment as well. Also nice that they have separate waiting rooms for sick and healthy children. So that was reassuring. Cyndi is doing well, dealing with Kaitlyn's kicking and pushing. We will be touring the birth center at Maine Medical Center next week, along with our next appointment at the baby doctor. Well again hope all is well with everyone, and hope everyone is enjoying fall!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Checking In

Hello all, must apologize for not posting for almost a month. We had another check up with the doctor last week, which went well as always. Only mystery is they are now saying Cyndi is one week further along than we thought. Something to ponder. Anyways we are far enough along now where we are going to be going to the doctor every two weeks. So the next appointment is on October 14th I believe. Today we are going to the pediatricians office to pick out a doctor for Kaitlyn.

Something else we did last week was explore daycare, something we'll definitely need. We took a look at The Toddle Inn in South Portland, and it was much better than even I expected to find. Immediately upon walking inside, everything is very clean and a very nice neutral clean odor. The whole building including all the rooms, hallways, and outside are monitored by video cameras, and you need a key code to get through the front door. The rooms in the building are split up by age, and Kaitlyn wold be starting in the 6 weeks to 6 months room. When we saw it, there were 8 babies in the room all being very quiet just bouncing around in swings and what not. In the next room, starting at 6 months, they have their own outside area with infant swings. Almost all of the age groups have a play area outside designed for their age group, and all of these outside play areas are separated by fencing. There is also an indoor gym, with age appropriate equipment inside. Once Kaitlyn grows older she'll be able to participate in different programs that the Toddle Inn offers, such as dancing classes, and starting at age 3 they offer field trips. It's a very nice place and during the day you can come and go as you please to visit with your child. We believe that we've decided on bringing Kaitlyn here, so we've got the packet of information to fill out and bring back to them to reserve her spot. Well that's pretty much it for now, there will be another post within the next day or so about the pediatrician!

Hope all is well with everybody, think fall! The leaves are changing fast here now, and before you know it winter will be knocking at our doors. The best part, as I remind everybody, is that less than 3 months to Christmas, which will be extra special this year for obvious reasons!