Pregnancy | Dawn Cullo's Blog

From Cheerio to Soda Can with No Epidural, But Not By Choice

January 28, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Update: 05/22/10
Since first writing this article on January 28, 2010 I have seen that my blog post has been getting a lot of views. My guess is that you have landed here because you have done a Google search about Epidurals or are curious about pain during labor. The original blog post was mainly about my entire labor experience, not just the pain involved. Therefore I will give you my candid (of course) view on labor pain as I recall doing the same internet research when I was pregnant with my first daughter in 2005.

The pain is so intense you will not be able to stand it, seriously. When you don’t have the epidural each contraction is like torture, and it doesn’t stop. It is like you have been involved in a car accident and have been seriously injured and there is no one there to help you. TV shows and movies, well most of them anyway, do not…and I repeat DO NOT depict labor and the pain involved correctly. There is not one ‘breathing’ technique or song that will keep your mind off of the pain, that is a load of bullshit! The pain is like someone is cutting you with a knife, do you think that you can sing a verse of “She’ll be coming round the mountain” if someone was slicing you up with a knife? Didn’t think so. The worst pain will be in your vagina when the head starts to crown, there is no pain medication for that part. The best thing to do is to push as hard as you can to get your baby out so that it ends quicker, that is the only way to get the pain to stop.

With that in mind, (this is just my opinion but) get the Epidural, don’t make this process harder on yourself than it really needs. I passed out twice during labor while I waiting for the epidural and it was horrible. The only thing I could do was attempt to breathe through it and pray, yes I prayed during labor. Nobody is going to think you are less of a woman because you asked for the pain medication and nobody is going to give you a gold medal for doing it without the pain medication. In the end, all you will have is your baby and being a parent is hard enough and can be shitty at times. The only medication for that is alcohol but you can’t drink that until you stop nursing. =)

Below is the original blog posting from January 28, 2010

During my pregnancy with Abigail I have always been concerned with the care for Lily (my 4 year old) during labor and I really hoped that my labor would be quick. Now I know to be careful what you wish for.

We had lined up various family members to take care of her depending upon the time of day I went into labor, the one time I didn’t want to go into labor was in the middle of the night. However, my body had other ideas. I woke up at 3:15 am on Monday morning January 18th with a really bad Braxton Hicks, turns out this was the real thing and I had lost my mucus plug. I woke up Louis and said, make some coffee and get ready because we are going to the hospital! I timed my contractions and they were not consistent, some were 4 minutes apart and others were 10 minutes apart. Most of them I could walk around through them but there were a few where I could not walk or talk during them. We called Labor and Delivery and they said to come in when they are 3-5 minutes apart.

My mom was the one who was going to watch Lilly should I go into labor in the middle of the night, so I gave her a call and woke her up at 4:45 and asked her to come over by 6:30. But the contractions kept coming harder and faster so I called her back a few minutes later and asked her to come over ASAP! We woke up Lily and took off for the hospital.

It was a holiday (Martin Luther King, Jr day) so freeway traffic was pretty light, however Louis felt the need to get in the #3 lane and drive the speed limit as I am screaming through each contraction. I yelled at him, get in the Fast Lane and gun it or we are having this kid in the car. I could feel that something was not right, these contractions were coming too fast and hurt more with each one. When we finally arrived at UC Davis Medical Center we had to walk while I was having contractions through the entire hospital and into the next wing, yes I said walk to Labor and Delivery and it was the longest walk ever!

I got into the triage section where they evaluate your situation and decide if they are going to admit you to a room, it didn’t take them too long to decide to admit me and start me on antibiotics as I have Group B Strep and need to have 4 hours of antibiotics prior to delivery. They checked my cervix and I was at 3 centimeters, I had gone from zero to three centimeters on my own in 3 hours. They also ordered the epidural as I walked (yet again) to my labor room.

They gave me some wussy pain medication while I waited for the epidural but it didn’t really help, these contractions were getting worse and coming every 2 minutes. It was the worst pain I have ever felt in mt life, this must be what torture was like. For the next 2 hours I screamed, prayed and begged for my epidural and wondered why this was happening to me, why was I waiting so long for the epidural? Remember, it was a holiday and there was ONE epidural fairy wandering labor and delivery and I was 3rd in line for an epidural. WHAT?? By 9am my labor nurse told me that I might have to give birth without an epidural, and that put me even more over the edge, I flipped out. At one point I even passed out from the intense pain and Louis and the nurses had to wake me up and even keep from from passing out another three times.

When the anesthesiologist finally arrived a bit after 9 AM I had to fill out paperwork (are you kidding me!) and she had to review the risks of having an epidural, PLEASE just give it to me already. I was having contractions every two minutes and during the epidural process I had to remain perfectly still, that was the worst part of labor. I vividly recall staring at a piece of lint on Louis’ shirt and gritting my teeth while I held his hands and cried from the pain. The attending Anesthesiologist and my labor nurse Kimmi each held me up and I started to pass out again from the pain and they held me up while the resident anesthesiologist administered the epidural.

Finally, I could feel relief with the epidural and now I could make it through the contractions while just doing my breathing exercises, which up to this point were pretty useless. The nurse checked my cervix and I was dilated to 8 centimeters, this had done all with out the epidural. The bad news is I have to wait another 2 hours to give birth because the antibiotics have to be in my system for 4 hours prior to giving birth and they were only in my system for 2 hours now. During the next to hours I could not push and try to remain calm as to not go into labor. If I were to go into labor the effects of the Group B Strep could be life threatening to Abigail. We realized that the camera was still in the car so Louis ran to get it, all the way back through the hospital and out to the car.

11:00 AM finally came and my nurse checked my cervix, I was now at 9 centimeters and since I had the antibiotics in my system for 4 hours they could now break my water. As soon as they broke my water I could feel Abigail slip down into the birth canal and I knew that I was ready to push my little Abigail out. The nurse called in the delivery team and I went to work pushing through the contractions. In my previous pregnancy with Lily I pushed for over 2 hours so I assumed this time would be the same, wrong. I pushed for maybe 30 minutes and about 10 times when she was born. The cord was wrapped around her neck and she was purple, but she was doing fine once they got her untangled and checked her out. I sneezed and then my placenta poped out and it took them longer to repair my 2nd degree tear than to give birth.

All in all it was a quick delivery and could have been quicker if it wasn’t for the Group B Strep. I was in labor for a total of 7 hours and pushed for 30 minutes.

I can’t really blame anyone for the lack of getting my epidural sooner, if I hadn’t progressed so quickly I would have been ok waiting for the epidural, of course maybe having more than one anesthesiologist on staff would have been nice, but oh well.

I feel that I can now do anything, after getting though this labor process I feel like a stronger woman and my recovery has also been awesome too! I am a bit sleep deprived but what would life with a newborn be like if you got sleep?

For more information about the stages of labor you can check out this link - http://www.prohealthcare.org/services/BirthingProHealthyBaby/birthing-binder/chapter-three/labor-guide.aspx

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Baby Abigail’s New Due Date

January 13, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

We had our 40 week appointment today and looks like we will have to wait until next week for her to be born. My doctor said that my body is ‘closed up tight’ and I am not a candidate for induction and the due date could just be wrong. He said that he will not let me go beyond 41 1/2 weeks which is next weekend, which gives us a new due date of around January 23rd.

So we wait….and have sex because he said that could help soft the cervix and start labor sooner. Also, I was hoping that he would at least strip my membranes today however, I learned that because I am Group B positive it could become a problem and cause an infection. I am having Braxton Hicks contractions so hopefully these will turn into more productive contractions this week.

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Due Date, Smooe Date

January 13, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

When I found out I was pregnant in May I headed figured out my due date based upon my LMP and came up with a due date of January 21st. However, once I visited the doctor he told me that it was going to be January 7th, what? Well, according to them all women are apparently on the same 28 day cycle…yeah right! My cycles are 41 days people and I can totally prove it!! But, he would not listen as we all know how ‘godly’ some doctors can be. So we moved along in the pregnancy and have been given 3 different due dates during the ultrasounds that we have had. All three were more towards the end of January, but my doctor always just stuck with January 14th. Guess what? Today is January 13th and I am still pregnant.

I know that due dates are just an estimate but darn it, I thought I would of had this little angel by now. I have prepared myself and my family so much for this day. My house is cleaned, laundry done, Lily’s child care for the event (somewhat) planned and now we need to wait another week.

I was hoping that he would at least strip my membranes today however, I learned that because I am Group B positive it could become a problem and cause an infection.

I am still having Braxton Hicks contractions and totally uncomfortable but things could be worse, right? Today was my 40 week appointment and after my exam the doctor indicated that I was not going to be induced today and I was pretty darn bummed. However, he did send me over to Labor & Delivery to have them check my amniotic fluid levels. With my first pregnancy 4 years ago at 40 weeks my fluid was 25% low and so I was induced. However, this time everything check out fine. I was hooked up to a fetal monitor and Baby Abigail did great through the two contractions that I had. The Nurse Practitioner did the ultrasound and found that my amniotic fluid levels were just fine and she even printed a picture of Abigail so we got to see her sweet face today. The nurse even ordered lunch for me (I didn’t have to ask for it) so I got a free meal and I found out that there is Free WiFi at the hospital, cool.

So, yes it is annoying that I am still pregnant but at least we know that everything is ok and according to me my due date is January 21st. I’ve also always said that I wanted her birthday to be as far away from Christmas as possible, really who wants their birthday right after Christmas anyway.

The one piece of advice that we did get from my doctor and the Nurse Practitioner was to have sex. They said that semen contains prostaglandins which can stimulate contractions. So, guess what we will be doing for the next week?

And by the way, my hospital bag has been in my car for over a week now! Guess it is safe to take it out now.

Filed Under: Blog, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Abigail, Dawn, Pregnancy

Waiting To Get This Party Started

January 9, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

I had my doctor’s appointment last week and found that my ‘baby door’ is shut tight! I am not due until January 14th so really there isn’t too much of a rush except that my doctor seems to think that Abigail is going to be a big baby and he would like for things to get moving. I feel though that if she is doing well in my tummy (no stress to her) then that is where she can stay until the due date. Lily was only a few days over due and she was 7 pounds, no biggie right? So, I declined my doctors offer to have my membranes stripped and we left the office hoping to get things started on our own. On the way home I had numerous erratic contractions known as Braxton Hicks contractions and this gave me hope that with our own methods I would be in labor in no time.

That was a few days ago and here I sit, in my office writing this blog and still no baby. Louis is right….the doctor is the professional and I should have listen to him and had my membranes stripped in the office. We have endured hours and miles of walking, foot massaging and even more walking. Prior to my doctors appointment I was walking at Walmart, Target, Costco etc and having a really hard time getting through it because there was so much pressure in my cervix. So after leaving the doctor’s office I was confident that Louis and I would need to just give it ‘one good walk’ around the mall a few times and wham things would naturally progress. I was so confident in fact that Louis is already taken time off of work because we thought we would be in labor and have Abigail by now. Wrong.

We strapped on our tennis shoes on Thursday night and walked at the Arden Fair Mall. We walked that darn thing 6 times which resulted in 3 miles and all I got was a blister and a swollen right foot. We managed to sneak in some spicy Thai food and a piece or two of See’s candy (dark chocolate vanilla butter cream and a picked up a small gift for Lily from the Hello Kitty store to give to her when she visits me and Abigail in the hospital. I had 1 Braxton Hicks contraction the entire time.

Ok, so next day we try the walking thing again, but this time it is complicated by the fact that Lily has decided that she is doesn’t want to go to preschool and takes normal than longer to get her booty into gear and we are late for school. I couldn’t walk at the mall as we had planned so we just walked around Target and after about 10 laps we ended up doing some grocery shopping. I even fired up my Wii and did some Yoga with my Wii Fit and some dancing on EA Active Sports.

Later that evening we ended up at the Roseville Galleria for some more walking but by this point I was so sore from walking I wasn’t sure it was a good idea. We walked a little bit, but not as much as we should have. It was rather difficult to do this with a 4 year old so we just gave up and at dinner and did some shopping. I did however get some great deals on bath products from Lush and Lily scored on some soap from there too. We came home and I took a nice warm bath with my new bath products and just relaxed.

Now, here is it Saturday and I have a sore throat, blisters, shin splints and I am exhausted. I’ve had a few more Braxton Hicks, but nothing major. This really wasn’t the ‘end game’ I had in mind. By now, I had hoped to have Abigail in my arms and possibly even home by now. But, I know that she will be here soon and I just need to enjoy the time we have together and relax because soon this house is going to be a loud crazy mad house and I will be longing for these quite lazy days.

Filed Under: Blog, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Abigail, Braxton Hicks, Dawn, Labor, Pregnancy

Packing For The Hospital, Who Needs Tennis Balls?

January 3, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

When I was packing for the hospital for my labor with Lily I took an actual suitcase full of crap and basically used 1% of the items. I swear, sometimes Baby Preparation guide books should be burned! They are useless and I think that only your friends have the best advice. I have no idea where the list that I followed 4 years ago was from but holy cow it was a joke. It suggested that I pack massage oil, tennis balls and a massager. Jesus Christ, once those contractions hit all I wanted to do was crush those tennis balls and throw them across the room, not massage my back with them….useless advice unless I was supposed to crush them. The only thing that really came in handy were the snacks, I was famished after going through labor, it was like running a marathon that I did not train for.

Here is a picture of my bag from last time with Lily

Hospital Bag from 4 Years Ago

Now, I have gotten a wee bit smarter and I am taking notes from other mommies and lists that I find online. These online lists are more up-to-date and realistic. The one site that I like the best is Baby Center and here is a link to their Hospital Packing list. I am also not taking my super big suitcase, just a carry on for me.

Here is a list of the things that I will be taking:

Electronics – pocket camera, Flip video camera, cell phone charger, MP3 Player with headphones
Personal Care Items – shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, lip balm, pads, hair ties, brush, lotion,
Clothing – nightgown, undies, going home outfit for Mommy, socks with grippers
Journal Items – either notepad & pen or my Baby Journal
Baby Abigail Items – going home outfit, blanket, pacifier, socks

Any other things you can think of? Just leave your comment below.

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Abigail’s Nursery & Shower

December 16, 2009 By Dawn Cullo 2 Comments

We have finished with Abigails room, now we just need her in it! A few more weeks and she will be popping out! We used some of Lily’s nursery items such as her crib, dresser and some of her decorations. We kept the Bunny theme that we used in Lily’s nursery as well.

nursery1

nursery2

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My mom threw me a Baby shower on December 5th and I had a great time with all my friends and family. Lily even got some great things from some of the guests. She got a big sister shirt, and a cute little black & white stuffed kitty and one that she can give to Abigial.

Dawn & Lily

The Cake

Dawn & Kathy

"Big Sister" Lily

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Nesting

December 14, 2009 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

I can’t belive that I am doing it again, I am nesting. I don’t realize that I am doing it until I am well into scrubbing the bathroom tile with a toothbrush. It is amazing how much you can get done when you are 8 months pregnant! I keep crossing things off my list and I am looking for more things to do. My house certianly isn’t perfect at the moment and in fact I am looking at way too much dust sitting on my computer monitor….guess I need to do some swiffering in my office today. =)

Filed Under: Blog, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Abigail, Dawn, Pregnancy

25 Week Ultrasound

September 29, 2009 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

I had to go back for a follow-up ultra sound a few days ago because at the 20 week ultrasound they were unable to get good image of her heart. This time, there was no problem as they were able to get the images right away. The tech was able to spend some extra time with me and sent me home with some great shots.

Face

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Profile

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Leg & Foot

This is what keeps me up at night…the kicking!

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Foot

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Oh Vay, Braxton Hicks

September 16, 2009 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Any pregnant lady will tell you that they have experienced Braxton Hicks contractions during their pregnancy. These are basically felt anytime after the 1st Trimester and I am approaching 6 months pregnant which is my 2nd Trimester. They are your bodies way of getting ready for labor, it is like warming up for the event. They are not painful, just annoying. When I was pregnant with Lily I didn’t really feel these until much later in the pregnancy and even then at times I thought it was her kicking me. Now, I can tell the difference between Abigail kicking me and a Braxton Hicks contraction.

The Braxton Hicks that I am feeling happen pretty much all day long, and are seriously starting to annoy me, but I know that this is part of pregnancy. They basically feel like a muscle spasm in a specific spot for about 2 minutes. Then they move onto another spot and continue all day long. Sometimes they can go every 8 minutes, sometimes only once an hour. When I feel Abigail move it is more of a kick or punch one time in the lower belly and that is it.

They do become annoying because I sit at my desk and work and they can become uncomfortable and make it hard to concentrate on work. It is like having someone come up and kick you in your stomach or ‘down there’ and then you feel the muscle spasm for a few minutes. Oh well, only 17 more weeks of this and then I will be in intense pain which will result in the birth of a baby.

Filed Under: Blog, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Abigail, Dawn, Pregnancy

We are having a girl baby.

August 28, 2009 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

The picture is a little fuzzy but the ultrasound tech showed me more images on the screen and clearly pointed out the female parts! Now I don’t have to go and sell all my clothes at Once Upon a Child and we can finally talk about names and we can start decorating. Can you tell I am excited?

Lily was with us during the Ultrasound and afterwards she called Nona and her Aunties to tell them the news. She was rather excited as well, until the new baby starts playing with her My Little Ponies and Barbies!

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Gender Verification Is Just Around The Corner

August 20, 2009 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

I am getting nervous, mainly because I am just a big ol’ control freak and what happens during pregnancy is one of these things that you can’t control. Even worse, you can’t control the gender of your child. Having to wait 5 months to find out the gender of our baby is making me a little nuts. I could go and have an ultrasound done at one of those fancy 3D places and pay a few bucks to find out before my scheduled appointment on Tuesday but it just isn’t in the budget at the moment. We will stick with the one that will be paid by the insurance. On Tuesday (August 25th) at 9:00 am we will be finding out the gender of the baby.

This means that I will either be selling a ton of girl clothes at Once Upon A Child or unpacking it all in the baby’s room and we can start playing the name game. We have a few names picked out for each gender but Lou doesn’t really want to talk about the names until we can only talk about 1/2 of them. Honestly, it doesn’t matter if we have a boy or another girl but deep down inside I really think it is a girl.

crochet hookers

My mom is poised and ready with her crochet hooks and waiting to find out which colors she can use to make the baby a blanket. Lord knows she made us enough when Lily was born, but she feels the new baby needs their own blankets too.

So I’ve been a little cranky, a little anxious and I have a feeling that this weekend is going to drag on. I guess I will just have to keep my self busy so that the time flies by and Tuesday gets here really soon.

I’ve also been falling into the Pregnancy Brain syndrome. I recall that the first time I was pregnant I had really bad Pregnancy Brain and had the worst memory. Normally I have a great memory and can remember lots of annoying and trivial things like Disney Trivia and my job! But now, I am forgetting so many things and it make me so mad because I honestly feel stupid. Even Lily has noticed, recently she told me “Mom, you are forgetting stuff….a lot”. Ahh, 3 year olds, tell it like it is. I forgot if she wanted Milk or Juice and seriously just stood there in the kitchen, thinking really hard but it just never came to me. Oh well, hopefully once I pop out this new Cullo my memory will come back….maybe.

Filed Under: Blog, Cullo Family News Tagged With: Abigail, Dawn, Pregnancy

Reminder, your pregnant

August 11, 2009 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Reminder

The first time I was pregnant in 2005 I worked as an administrative assistant in the traditional 9-5 office job. I sat on my booty all day long in an office chair and had all day to think about my pregnancy, baby names and my baby registry. I was always aware that I was pregnant because all I did was sit around and think about it, talk about it with my co-workers for months.

Now, I have an almost 4 year old to take care of and I work at home. While working at home has been the best solution for our family it takes a lot of discipline. It is important to stick to a work schedule and mine consists of 3 hours of work per day, 1 in the morning, 1 in the afternoon and 1 at night. I love to have a clean house and that is nearly impossible with 2 cats, Lily and Louis! I keep it as clean as I can and most weeks the laundry does pile up, oh well. Thank goodness we have a play area upstairs where Lily’s toys can be messy and that is a.o.k. Unlike my previous pregnancy I don’t sit around all day as I am always on the go running errands, going on play dates or completing chores. I would love to have Lily in preschool 5 days a week, a maid and a Gardner, window washer, carpet cleaner and a baby sitter but that just isn’t in our plan.

There are many days where I have to remind myself that I am pregnant. I get a tired towards the end of the day, around 4:oo pm and I feel like I could sleep for days. Some weekend days I acutally am so tired that I just pass out for hours and it is great! I also am uber hungry, now that I have my appetitie back I can eat just about anything. So when my body gets tired and hungry I have to stop and say “slow down, remember you are pregnant”.

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Second Trimester, Ahh Food.

July 23, 2009 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

During my first trimester I had the worst morning sickness, it was pretty similar to what I experienced with Lily during my first pregnancy. I even got the stomach flu towards the end of the first trimester as I did with Lily. Some people claim that when you experience really bad morning sickness that you are having a girl, but I think I am just really sensitive to pregnancy hormones. During the first trimester I actually lost at least 8 pounds. Not only was I having terrible morning sickness, but everything tasted horrible to me. I could not (and still can’t) eat something with sugar in it because it leaves a horrible after taste in my mouth. I took a sip of Lemonade and it tasted like I licked a hot sidewalk. Well, I guess this is just my baby telling me to eat right, dont’ eat junk food! However, I can’t get enough of bubble gum and sour candy like Now and Laters. During my first trimester I lived off of protein shakes and gum, awesome!

dcoke03 Now that the second trimester is in full swing I feel so much better. I still can’t stand the taste of food with sugar, like bread and milk but at least my appetite is back. I was so hungry today, I am pretty sure that the baby is doubling in size because I am ready to drive to Cattlemen’s Steak House and order me up a big o’l steak and a diet coke.

My energy level has returned to semi-normal status. At the end of every day I am pretty much exhausted because I am such a busy gal, I just try and do too much and get tuckered out.

We have started to get the Nursery ready. I have kept all of Lily’s clothes organized and packed up in vacuum bags, ready to be unpacked should we find out that we are having a girl. If we find out that we are having a boy then I guess I am making a trip to Once Upon a Child and Goodwill. I was grumpy the other day and once I started to unpack all the cute baby things for the room I couldn’t help but be in a better mood.

Filed Under: Blog, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Abigail, Dawn, Pregnancy

Baby Cullo is Coming in 2010

July 10, 2009 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Warning…it’s a long post. =)

We have been blessed with becoming pregnant again, this will be our second child. For a very long time I thought that Lily was going to be an only child like me. There certainly are some perks to being the only kid in the house, but I think that there are more pitfalls. I never had that ‘constant playmate’ around to bug or hang out with. As a child I ended up playing alone in my room many afternoons wishing for a baby brother or sister.

Now, as an adult I have always wanted a large family but we had problems getting pregnant the first time as it took 4 years to get pregnant with Lily. The culprit I suspect was my then undiscovered Graves disease which causes my Hyperthyroidism which causes infertility. About a year after the birth of Lily my condition was discovered and I am now being treated with a daily medication. Even though I wanted a large family it was becoming a distant reality as I started to waiver on if I wanted more than Lily. You see, Lily was quite a handful as a baby, as a toddler and now as a preschooler we have learned how to deal with all of her little issues. She is what some would call a High Spirited child. She just needs ‘more’ from us in certain situations where most kids would be able to deal. Lily put quite a strain on our marriage, while it was never in jeopardy it sure did test it many times. I recall many times saying to Louis, “This is it, no more kids” when dealing with Lily issues.

Being a parent is not easy, it is not all tied up in a pretty little box with a bow on top. Do you remember how ‘blissful’ you thought this was all going to be? How you thought you could still ‘do it all’ and keep your nice life the same and have a baby? Then you took your baby home and that first week was like an asteroid had crashed into your life and turned it all upside down. Parenting is messy, complicated, challenging, and will make you do things you never thought you would ever do or say. It adds a whole new dynamic to you as a person. If you need to drink a glass of wine, beer, mixed cocktail or even be medicated by a doctor just to cope then there is nothing wrong with that.

This all brings me back to my original reason for making this post today, we are pregnant again and will be expecting our new baby in January 2010. The due date keeps changing and I’ve heard Jan 4th, Jan 14th and Jan 23rd, it all just depends upon when I have an ultrasound done and how the baby measures on that day.

Lily really wants a baby sister, but has recently said that she would be ‘ok’ if it was a boy. I think she said that when she realized that boys don’t play with baby dolls and My Little Pony so she wouldn’t need to share those with the new baby. I really want a girl, mainly because we have a lot of girl crap already and this means we don’t need to buy a darn thing or get any boy hand me downs. I’d rather just unpack all of Lily’s baby clothes instead of inherit more crap. Louis said that he wants a girl as well, I think he likes being the king of the castle. But of course when it all comes down to it, we just want a healthy baby no mater if it is a boy or a girl.

Here are the most recent photos of the baby, taken today. In these ultrasounds the technician said the baby measured about 12 – 13 weeks. We were very surprised because we thought that I was only 11 weeks and so we expected to see only a semi-human looking baby. We got a surprise when the technician put that wand to my tummy and saw a mostly fully developed human looking kid in there. The baby was dancing around and waving his/her arms, it was awesome.

Here is a picture of the Baby Waving

baby cullo 070909 Waving

Profile

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Baby Lily Has Arrived !

September 14, 2005 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Lily Arrives !
09/09/05 -12:25

I labored in the Hospital on 09/08/05 4:00pm until 09/09/05 at 12:25 until she entered the world. It was quite an experience to say the least.

My doctor wanted me to be induced because Lily was a day overdue and too big for my tummy and the amniotic fluid was low. Once my water was broken in the hospital it was found that she had swallowed merconium and they would need to run a ‘wash’ up into the uterus to help Lily.

Once the pitocin kicked in all hell broke loose. In my opinion I think ditzy nurse Sue gave me too much and it felt like someone had shot me and I was on fire in my lower back. I was in so much pain and out of control that they gave me morphine and then my epidural. The morphine was very nice. I continued to have pain medication throughout the night.

At one point during the early morning (4:30am to be exact) I stopped breathing and so Lily’s heart rate dropped to 60, normally it was between 130-160. At first it looked like an episode from ER as staff come running into our room. Louis and I had no idea what was going on. After a lot of yelling in the room and telling me to breath things returned to normal.

About two hours before the pushing finally came I was in so much pain, I have no idea what they gave me but it felt much better. I couldn’t believe it when the time came to actually push. I started at around 10:30 and it felt good to push against the contractions. Louis and Daria held my legs and the very nice nurse Christina counted out the pushes for me. I did three sets of pushes each lasting 10 seconds, but I decided that I would try and do more than just 10seconds so on the last ones and attempted to do 15 seconds.

Dr. Wright came in to check on my progress and was amazed that we were pushing. She washed up and began to help out the labor process. If it wasn’t for her encouraging words (or the nurse) I would never have been able to get through the last 1/2 hour. To hear them say that they saw her head and that I was almost there (they said that a lot) I would have given up. But I wanted my baby girl in my arms more than anything so I pushed and pushed until she was out.

Baby Lily is out !

Baby Lily was hooked up to a bunch of wires in the Special Care unit. She had to spend a day there for monitoring her glucose levels and a high white blood cell count. It was so hard to see her hooked up to these wires. Louis and I were emotional wrecks to say the least. The poked her little feet several times to check her glucose levels and she and an IV in her foot to give her antibiotics for the high white blood cell count.

We finally got to go home on Sunday, but it was touch and go becuase they were waiting on a test for her white blood cell counts and she might have had to stay in the hospital longer. However, things turned out to be ok and we left the hospital at 5:30pm.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
When I look at these pictures of me and Lou holding Lily Belle close to us, I know that all the pain I felt was well worth it. She is our precious present to have for the rest of our lives, we are two very lucky people.

Papa & Lily Belle

Mama & Lily Belle

Filed Under: Baby Lily Posts, Blog, Cullo Family News Tagged With: Baby Lily, Dawn, Lily, Pregnancy

Day 1

September 7, 2005 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Day 1: Tuesday, September 6th

Morning- I was up most of the night tracking my contractions, mainly because they hurt and woke me up every 30 minutes. I got up at 6:45 ate some breakfast after a hormone surge in which I yelled at Louis for something stupid and then I cried. Aren’t hormones wonderful? I took a nap until 10:30.
Afternoon – I called Claudia because I was frustrated at how my contractions were going. I couldn’t figure out if I was having real contractions or just the Braxton Hicks. They were coming about every 30 minutes but I only felt them if I was sitting up or lying on my back. I never really felt them while laying on my side. Claudia told me to take a few walks around the neighborhood and that should help things along. I worked on our web site some more.
Evening – When Louis got home I had a list of things that needed to be done as I thought that we would be going to the Hospital sometime soon. He made dinner (yummie BBQ’d steak from Whole Foods) and then he went grocery shopping. My contractions started to come more frequent and more intense. We went to bed around 1:00 and didn’t go to the hospital.

Filed Under: Baby Lily Posts, Blog, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Dawn, Lily, Pregnancy

Day 2

September 6, 2005 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Day 2: Monday, September 5th

Morning – Louis had the day off and made a super breakfast. I still ate a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios and a bagel with peanut butter. Louis was amazed at how much food I put down in just an hour and half. My mom and grandmother were to come over today but Nona wasn’t feeling well and they did not come.
Afternoon – I started to get more frequent Braxton Hicks contractions so I stayed at home and kept track of the contractions. I worked on our web site and this time I didn’t mess it up. I took some pictures of my swelling feet as I think that they are having a competition as to which one can get bigger.
Evening – Louis and I stayed in for dinner and he made another wonderful meal which I could never make. He is just wonderful and I am so lucky to have him in my life. I thought about folding the laundry, but as I write this it still sits in the basket. I continued to read “The Happiest Baby on the Block” and reviewed the book “The Gift of Motherhood” which we received from our birthing class.

Filed Under: Baby Lily Posts, Blog, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Dawn, Lily, Pregnancy

Day 3

September 5, 2005 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Day 3: Sunday, September 4th

I had a rough night sleeping and woke up every two hours, guess this is just my body’s way of preparing me for what is to come. I felt good today and didn’t have as many Braxton Hicks contractions. I ran around and did some errands in the afternoon so that may have helped things out a little bit.

Morning- Louis brought me my breakfast in bed, as requested it was Honey Nut Cheerios. Louis went to the Peterson’s and did some work as I fell back asleep around 9:00 and didn’t wake until noon. I was in the exact same position when I woke up so I guess I really pasted out and slept like a rock. Roxy slept next to me and Sassy slept at my feet.
Afternoon- Once I got up and showered I ate peanut butter and jelly sandwich and some other wholesome goodies. I decided that I would leave the house while Louis worked on his school work and give him some space. I went to Jo Ann’s to return a bunch of crocheting yarn and books of which I am just not skilled enough to do now. I was on the hunt for the new Baby Einstein clothing so I went to Babies R Us and Macy’s but didn’t find the new stuff. I also went to Bed Bath and Beyond to pick up a small fan for the birthing room as I think we might need some circulating air while in labor.
Evening – Louis and I decided to go out and have a nice relaxing meal. We wanted to beat the rush at Macaroni Grill so we went early and ate around 5:30. We then went to Borders Bookstore and picked up some Baby Einstein books for Lily and ran into my friend from work Darlene. We capped off the evening with Coffee from Bucky’s and I had a decaf caramel macchiato and Louis had a mocha. I haven’t had a caramel macchiato in months and it was nice to cap off the evening with a yummie drink. All in all I had a pretty good day and only had a few Braxton Hicks contractions.

Look at my tummy, I think Lily has dropped !!

Filed Under: Baby Lily Posts, Blog, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Dawn, Lily, Pregnancy

Day 4

September 4, 2005 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Day 4: Saturday, September 3rd

Today I feel a little out of it and I just can’t seem to get comfortable I am hot and can’t seem to cool down. I took my temperature thinking that I might have a fever but it was a normal 98.6. My tummy feels really tight and Lily is moving around. I found out that I’ve actually been having Braxton Hicks contractions for quite a while. Previously I had thought that Lily was just moving around in my upper tummy but I was wrong, I had been feeling Braxton Hicks contractions.

Morning- Louis and I drove up to Auburn and had breakfast at Baker’s Square.
Afternoon- We went to Wal-Mart and Target in search of a new LitterMaid litterbox as our current one broke. Neither store had the Mega LitterMaid model we needed so we headed to PetCo and they didn’t’ have it either. Last stop was PetSmart and we struck gold and found what we needed. All that running around sure tuckered me out so I took a rest on the couch.
Late Afternoon – We ate a light lunch as our breakfast was still keeping us full. I did some work on the web site and messed it up and Kathy had to fix it. Still didn’t make those darn chocolate chip cookies.
Evening – Louis BBQ’d sausages for dinner and we watched Big Brother 6 and Rescue Me. I worked on the web site some more and did research on the difference between Braxton Hicks contractions and real contractions. I also discovered that my tummy had finally begun to drop as my uterus doesn’t feel so high.

Filed Under: Baby Lily Posts, Blog, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Dawn, Lily, Pregnancy

Day 5

September 3, 2005 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Day 5: Friday, September 2

Today I feel really tired and have a very full belly. I lost count how many times I’ve made my way to the bathroom. Feel like my allergies are acting up on me and my right foot is swelling up even though I am keeping it elevated.

Morning- Slept in until 9:00 and had my Honey Nut Cheerios. My mom stopped by and helped me out with some crochet techniques and visited with me and the kitties.
Afternoon – Worked on our web page (thecullos.com) for most of the afternoon and organized files on the computer. I took a long walk and ate a light lunch as I wasn’t that hungry (surprise)
Late Afternoon – Thought about making some chocolate chip cookies but it just didn’t happen. I watched TV and worked more on the web page and did some job research for Louie and talked to Claudia on the phone.
Evening – Louis and I picked up our rocking/gliding chair from Goores and went to dinner at Sam’s Houf Brau on Watt Ave. We put the chair together and then watched the Hurricane Relief concert with Harry Connick, JR (love him) and then watched some recorded programs on our TIVO. Roxy caught a cricket and let Sassy play with it.

Here are the pictures of the Glider. We purchased it from Goores and it is by Dutailier.
It is a multi position recliner glider rocker and it ROCKS ! The pattern is a light green, almost beige with buzzing bee’s stitched into the fabric.

Filed Under: Baby Lily Posts, Blog, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Lily, Pregnancy

Day 6

September 2, 2005 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Day 6: Thursday, September 1st

Today I feel like my belly is so full. I think that the baby might be dropping now as I feel a lot of pressure in my lower belly area and on my bladder. I don’t look any different but I feel a bit more tired. I took a 10 minute walk today and I felt like I had a rock sitting on my bladder the entire time.

Morning – Got up early, 6:30 and ate Honey Nut Cheerios and graham crackers with peanut butter. =) Updated Birth Announcement list with corrected address from Grandma Cullo.
Afternoon – Did grocery shopping at Bel Air for mainly dinner items (spent 80 bucks, yikes), picked up Lou’s dry cleaning for his interview tomorrow and picked up lunch. I ate McDonalds, I was totally craving french fries. I don’t eat fast food very often so I think it is ok to indulge. Took a quick 10 minute walk and organized pictures on the computer.
Late Afternoon – More computer research, this time on baby keepsakes and part time job opportunities for myself. Worked on my new craft of crocheting.
Evening – Kathy came over and helped me out with our web page and I made baked spaghetti for dinner. The rest of the evening spent on the computer organizing files and working on the web page.

Filed Under: Baby Lily Posts, Blog, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Lily, Pregnancy

Week 39

August 31, 2005 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Here are a few pictures as I begin week 39.

My feet look so far away.

Not sure if my belly is dropping yet.

Filed Under: Baby Lily Posts, Blog, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Lily, Pregnancy

Day 7 – 1 Week to go….

August 31, 2005 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

We are 1 week from the due date and I am going to document what I do each day until the event.

Day 7: Wednesday, August 31st

Morning – Watched hurricane coverage on TV & took a walk and read more in my book “The Happiest Baby on the Block” and got the mail.
Afternoon – Ate Lunch & cleaned up kitchen and dining area from Lou’s Grad party on Sunday, emptied the dishwasher, cleaned the dining table and the kitchen counter and made chocolate chip cookies. Watered the plants in the backyard.
Late Afternoon – Did research on the computer for some new recipes for dinner. Made a grocery list and watch 30 Minute Meals with Rachel Ray on Food TV. Looked into jobs for Louis and working from home opportunities for myself but I didn’t find anything too exciting.
Evening – Made dinner Lemon chicken with Garlic and Butter pasta. Did some more research online for portrait studios such as JCPenny & Sears. Worked on creating a website on Comcast.net but it sucked so Kathy is coming over to help me. Watched TV with Louie.

Filed Under: Baby Lily Posts, Blog, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Lily, Pregnancy

Closed for Business

August 29, 2005 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

We had our 38 week Dr. appointment today and the Dr. checked the status of my cervix. My cervix has not yet begun to dilate and is closed up tight but is getting soft. Looks like we will not be having a baby this week. Our due date is the 7th but she can wait until September 21st before she is considered overdue. I don’t think that my Dr. will let Lily cook that long and would induce me should I go past the due date.

I am feeling pretty puffy today and I feel like I am coming down with a cold so I am taking it easy today.

From BabyCenter.com Your practitioner will also check your cervix to see how it ‘s “ripening.” Its position, how soft it is, how effaced (thinned out) it is, and how dilated (open) it is can all affect when and how your labor is induced. If you don’t go into labor on your own, you’ll be induced sometime between 41 and 42 weeks.

Filed Under: Baby Lily Posts, Blog, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Lily, Pregnancy

Can’t Sleep

August 26, 2005 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

I guess I am just anxious as the day gets closer to Lily’s entrance into our world but I can’t sleep. I go to bed and just lay there. I try to sleep but the only thing that happens are thoughts racing through my head about everything not just Lily. But when I do think about her I get tears in my eyes when I think of what a beautiful moment it is going to be when I get to hold her in my arms and look into her eyes.

Most of the time as I start to finally drift off to sleep she starts to move and right now her movements are pretty uncomfortable for me as there is no room for her to move. I almost think that she just might break through and pop out of my tummy like in the movie “Alien”.

I look over at Lou and he is fast asleep sawing logs and part of me wants to wake him up so that he can share in my insomnia, but yet I let him sleep and I am jealous of how easy it is for him to sleep. I toss and turn (this takes time and effort) and then I am either hungry or have to use the restroom so up I get to make a trip somewhere. I repeat this routine at least 3 times a night.

Finally morning comes and I get up right around the time Louis is leaving for work. Time to eat again and watch the morning news and plan my day. I suppose this is just a cruel joke that my body is playing on me as I only sleep a few hours at night. Guess my body is just preparing me for what the real thing is going to be like.

I can’t wait for Lily to get here and break up this routine I’ve got going on.

Filed Under: Baby Lily Posts, Blog, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Lily, Pregnancy

Where's Ro Ro?

August 24, 2005 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

The other day I couldn’t find Roxy, I started to call her and heard a little ‘Meow’ coming from Lily’s room and holy cow there she was sitting in Lily’s crib. I couldn’t help but laugh at her because she didn’t know that she wasn’t suppose to be in there and she looked so cute. She must have thought that we got her the coolest kitty bed. Now we are making sure that she stays out of the crib. We are pretty sure that when Lily comes along Roxy & Sassy will want to have nothing to do with her because she will cry so loudly they will run and hide.

Filed Under: Baby Lily Posts, Blog, Cullo Family News, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Lily, Pregnancy

Month 9 Photos

August 24, 2005 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Lily’s newest addition to her closet is a Raider’s Cheerleading outfit. She wont be able to wear it until next season, but I bought it now because the price was great and I was afraid that I would forget to buy it next year.
(Click on photos to enlarge)

Here are some photos I took of me and Lily hanging out in her room.

Wow, my belly is sticking out a lot in this photo.

Filed Under: Baby Lily Posts, Blog, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Lily, Pregnancy

Signs of Labor

August 24, 2005 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

We are waiting for a sign that labor is about to begin. One of the first signs could be “dropping” of the baby. This may sound dangerous, but it is something that happens to the majority of women a few weeks or days before labor begins.

Unfortunately, this has not yet occurred with Lily. She is sitting so far up in my uterus that I think she is going to crawl out of my throat ! She turns and twists so much I tend to loose my breath because she sits right on my lungs but there is also a lot of pressure on my pelvic floor so she might be making her way down. I can’t wait until she “drops” because then I can breath again.

Filed Under: Baby Lily Posts, Blog, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Lily, Pregnancy

Hospital Tour

August 21, 2005 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Today Louis and I took part of the UC Davis Birthing Suites tour. There are 15 Birthing Suites and they are located in the Davis Tower of the hospital. The birthing suites are really nice private rooms where you give birth and stay in the same room for recovery. There are showers in all of the rooms and some even have a bathtub, but of course those are limited to first come basis. Your baby and birthing coach get to sleep in your room too. Each room also has a mini-fridge, TV and CD player.

However, we were told that if all of the birthing suites fill up then you could be transferred to the Women’s pavilion which to me sounds like a nice name for a women’s prison. In the Women’s pavilion you have to share a room with someone else and your coach can’t sleep in your room, I hope I don’t get transferred there.

Should you wish to visit us in the Hospital you will need to park in Parking Structure #1 off of Stockton Blvd and enter the Main Hospital. If the lot is full you will have to park around the corner in lot #4. There is construction going on around the Davis Tower and you are only able to enter the Davis Tower from the Main Hospital.

If you get lost there is an information desk in the lobby of the Main Hospital. The birthing suites are located on the 3rd floor, just take the elevator from the lobby and follow the signs to the birthing suites.

Once you get to the birthing suites you will need to ring the security buzzer. Just give them our name and they will let you in and direct you to our room.

You can view more pictures of the birthing suites by clicking here and scrolling to the bottom of the page.

Dawn & Lou

Filed Under: Baby Lily Posts, Blog, Cullo Family News Tagged With: Lily, Pregnancy

37 Weeks Today – We are Full Term Baby !!

August 17, 2005 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

We are 37 Weeks today and that means that Lily is full term and can survive outside the womb on her own. Now it is really becoming a reality that she could come any day now.

From BabyCenter – How your baby’s growing:
Congratulations! Your pregnancy is now considered full term — meaning your baby is developmentally ready to handle life outside the womb. (Babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term) Your baby probably weighs a little over 6 pounds at this point and measures between 19 and 20 inches, head to heel.