First off, I apologize for my blatant disregard of this blog... I used to like to pride myself on doing little features of local venues, opinions, etc. from a mom's perspective, but I guess you can say I have been a little preoccupied these days. My husband & I are just so blessed and happy to welcome baby girl #4 safely into this world. She was born the last weekend of January, and we are just tickled "pink" to say the least :)
In fact, PINK seems to be a popular color for this family- just a week after our precious bundle was born, my hubby's little sis had her own little girl at one of the larger hospitals in Knoxville! It has been an exciting month for our family. That being said, I have had some time to recuperate and grab a little rest when I can... actually, I can't lie. I am one of those lucky *ladies that have the good fortune to have a Mommy who recently retired. Yes - Granny's here & just in time too! Yes- we are having an adjustment period... because of course Grannies like to do things the 'Granny' way. Yet- I am still so thankful for this, because during the last trimester of my pregnancy, my husband and I got extremely sick, and the kids did too. I don't think I would have lasted so long if my Momma hadn't come to the rescue! Much love out to all the Grannies, Ma-maws, Nanas, and such that always come to the rescue -XOXO!
Having had three previous pregnancies & birth experiences to compare, I can definitely tell you this little nugget of truth is certain- No two pregnancies or birth experiences are exactly the same! So don't let your friends scare you with their own terrifying nightmare ER stories... Don't let your Momma wig you out about her 36 hours of excruciating labor to bring you into this world, or your sister freak you out with her thousandth telling of the OMG- 'my water broke in Walmart' story. You are your own individual being, and the same goes for your birth process as well. And if you are like me and have had four individual birth processes, then you will soon find out that each one is going to be its own unique experience as I assuredly found out with this past pregnancy.
My overall pregnancy went well- aside from the crazy illnesses going around this past winter, everything from my oldest bringing strep home from school 3 times in a 4 month period, to H1N1 (which also came through my place), to bronchitis, let's see throw in some crazy bacterial infection, a little bit of sinusitis... some nasty hospital trips... Well, I think you get the idea. Folks- the illnesses going around out there are SCARY! It was enough to almost turn me into a Howard Hughes disciple at the end of my pregnancy... I was wearing gloves in the supermarket so I didn't have to touch the buggy, spraying Lysol everywhere- lucky I didn't poison myself or the kids with cleaner!! UGLY stuff. Anyway, as far as weight gain- I only picked up about 11 pounds, a triumph because this is the least amount of weight I have ever gained during a pregnancy. Which is odd, since this is the BIGGEST baby I have delivered so far!! My first pregnancy tipped the scales with a whopping 60 pounds gained... I am only admitting this to show that each pregnancy is different. Yikes, with my first baby- EVERYTHING swelled- even my poor little nose!!
Country Mouse VS City Mouse...Now, I am the first to admit that I am city born & bred. It has taken me some time to get used to some of the differences between big(ger) city living and the country life. One thing that I have wholly come to embrace here is that of my family doctor taking on the role of delivering my babies. I have to say that I
love my doctor- he has delivered three out of four of my babies, and he knows me & I know and trust him. I think the most important quality you can have in your doctor, whatever their specialty, is trust. I have confidence in the fact that what he is telling me, is absolutely for my own good & that of the baby. The other thing that is high on the list of important qualities is LISTENING. My doctor never makes you feel rushed, or like you are on
his time, he always sits patiently and listens to what I am saying. He is like the old school family doctor who knows my husband & his family (in fact, he was my husband's childhood doc), and has a talent for making you think you are having plain old conversation when in fact he is actually gleaning valuable health-related information from you.
I know that some folks may think my doctor's way seems a bit old-fashioned, and might then jump to the conclusion that his medicine is dated... I think so many of us now have the impression that in order for a doctor's practice to be 'professional' that it should almost be devoid of any trace of a human element. We have gotten used to the totally sterile environment, white coats, office visits strictly scheduled for15 minute increments, and the doctor appears as the great unquestionable totem of birth knowledge. Okay- I am exaggerating a bit... but apparently not much. I have to say that when my water broke, I went right to the local hospital here in Oak Ridge, and my doctor showed up right away. He even spent the night at the hospital because he didn't want to go home and chance not being there for my little one's birth! On the other hand, my sister-in-law's Knoxville OB who came highly recommended, didn't even show up at the Knoxville hospital for her delivery... and neither did the doctor on call for the practice. My sister-in-law had what is termed a "nurse delivery," which I am told is more common than you'd think. The OB that was in the hospital was already in the process of delivering another baby when my sis-in-law was in labor. I was upset by this, but someone told my husband when we were at the hospital, that most doctors don't even want to be called unless the baby is crowning... for me this is too late! If I am crowning- you better be here with a catcher's mitt standing at the ready! My doctor said he didn't want to miss our delivery for anything- he even went so far as to tell his wife he couldn't go away with her that weekend for a quick trip... How's that for dedication! Lucky that my doc was there ready & waiting because my little petunia was a whopping 8 lbs 12 oz & there was a bit of a complication with her shoulders getting *ahem, stuck. If my doctor hadn't been there, things may not have turned out so well for us both. We were both lucky & blessed. Thankfully, things turned out well for my sister-in-law & her baby too.
I will also say that in the 2 1/2 years since my last stay at the local hospital, there have definitely been some changes. The nurses were all very nice and accommodating, some more so than others, but I was not so thrilled about feeling pushed to use medications for pain, sleep, etc. One nurse really tried to insist I take a sleep medication, and I adamantly refused. I don't like to take medications like that unless I absolutely have to do so. Other than that, I really felt that the nursing staff took excellent care of us. They were considerate, kind, and very willing to answer any and all questions that we might have had. The pediatrician also checked in on us & personally reported his findings regarding the baby's first few examinations. A new thing for us was that the babies now have to wear a little monitor that will sound the alarm system if someone tries to take a baby off of the ward without permission. Believe me- it works! I found this out because one day we heard the alarm go off- I thought the hospital was on fire! A nurse ran frantically into our room & shouted, "Do you have your baby?!!" Dumbfounded- we managed to blurt out a yes. That was a CRAZY moment, but comforting to know that your baby is not going to be slipped out of the hospital in a duffel bag! It was a bit annoying though, the little monitor kept slipping, so I'd have the baby sleeping, or feeding, & the nurses would constantly come in to check the little box & rustle her awake again. I often hear a lot of negative reviews regarding our local hospital in Oak Ridge, but while the Labor & Delivery unit may not have had some of the newer amenities as the Knoxville hospital, it has always been beyond adequate for our needs & the nursing staff was just wonderful to our family.
It's a beautiful Autumn day- just perfect for a stroll around the Knoxville Zoo, and guess what- it's FREE! Yep- today is Kroger Free Day at the Knoxville Zoo from 10am-4:30pm (the last admissions are 1 hour before closing.) This event is to benefit the community and the proceeds will go to benefit local charities such as The Mission of Hope, The Young-Willams Animal Center, and the Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley. Donations are appreciated but not required. For more info. go to the Knoxville Zoo's website
