She's here.......Melissa Nicole!!!

I am so incredibly pleased to announce the birth of my little girl - Melissa Nicole. She was born at 36w1d due to severe pre-eclampsia and IUGR. After 12 hours of labor I pushed her out at 2:05a.m. on May28th. She weighed 4lbs 6oz, 19" long, has light brown hair and is perfect! She's a tiny little thing but doesn't need a stay in the NICU and can come home with us tomorrow.

Labor was actually really good! I started with Cervadil Tuesday night to get things going - and then started pitocin on Wednesday morning. I was on Mag. Sulfate for the pre-e- which stops contractions so it was a blanacing act between the Mag and the Pitocin to get things going. My water broke on it's own about noon and I went from 0-5 cm without pain medication in about 6 hours. The epidural was great though - I'm not gonna lie. But it was mild enough that I could still feel contractions and move my legs so I was able to labor in different positons with the ball, bean bag, etc. I felt all the contractions at the end and knew when to push - I didn't need to be told that at all. I pushed 7 times and out she came! All in all labor was 12 hours - which the Dr's/nurses said was great for being induced and on pitocin. I was really happy with my labor experience and am sooooo happy to be a mommy! After 3 miscarriages it was been a long road and while it ended a few weeks earlier than we thought, it ended with a happy and healthy baby!

So here she is! The pictures don't really capture how small she is - she's a tiny little thing. The NB clothes look ridiculous on her - I need some preemie clothes stat! :)

Another good appointment!

I had my 3rd NST (non-stress test) today and it went really well. To quote the nurse practitioner "I would use this as a model of what NST's should look like". So that made me feel pretty good. I told the baby she did an excellent job and that I was so proud of her! Also, my blood pressure was good right off the bat - we didn't even have to take it twice. And I passed my 24 hour urine test so no signs anywhere of pre-eclampsia. Yes!!

Bed rest is going better than I expected. I can't believe it's already been a week! Only 13 more days to go until we take another measurement of baby - it doesn't seem like that far away. I spend the days doing a variety of activities - mostly TV, Internet, cross-stitching, reading, napping, and eating. I go outside for a little while each day to get some vitamin D. And my big excursion is now my visits to the Dr. I actually get dressed up for them now since it's the only time I ever leave the house anymore! But the days go by surprisingly fast. It's hard to sit around and look at my non-so-clean house and it's actually hard to keep asking John to do this and that. I know he's getting frustrated but I don't know what else to do. My mom is a huge help too - my house would be in shambles if she wasn't helping.

So all in all I'm feeling optimistic about things. I just keep telling Baby J. to keep growing and gain weight and that we can't wait to meet her. Could be any day now - yikes!!!

Baby Shower #2

This post is so late but I was really hoping to have some more pictures to share before posting. Somehow I only took a few pics at the shower but a friend of the family took dozens and I was hoping she would send me the pictures. But I can't wait anymore - I want to share!

My mother-in-law Joann threw me a fabulous baby shower on April 25th in Flint, MI. The guest list was a lot of Joann's aunts, cousins, family friends, etc. - there was about 25 women there. It was at a restaurant - which was actually the same place we had my wedding shower about 5 years ago! We played some games, had some great food, and opened a ton of gifts!





We got a lot of diapers, clothes, wipes, toys, a Diaper Genie, some giftcards...a lot of really great things for the baby! Two of my favorite onesies were from Joann - one said "Does this diaper make my butt look big?" and the other said "I am not a boy!". That one is especially funny in the Jozwiak family because they've had nothing but boys for years and years!

An especially touching moment was actually for John. John and his grandma were very close and she died almost 2 years ago. On her birthday in 1997 she wrote a letter to John in anticipation that one day he would be a father. In case she wasn't around she wanted to tell him to be a good husband and father - which of course his is! She also knitted a beautiful pink, blue, yellow, and green baby blanket. Joann had saved the letter and the blanket and gave it to John at the shower - it was a really touching moment. Of course the letter is going in the baby book, and the blanket is coming with us to the hospital. What's even cooler is that the blanket is very similar to one that my mom knitted for me 30 years ago!



It was a really nice shower and I'm so touched to be a part of John's family!

Mom-to-be and Grandma-to-be

33 Week Belly Picture

I feel like it doesn't look very big but here's my belly pic taken this morning at 33 weeks.

Baby is too small...let the bedrest begin.

I had an ultrasound yesterday and unfortunately things were not perfect. Our baby is measuring perfectly in the head and femur but her body is almost 2 weeks behind. They estimated the baby’s weight to be 3lbs 14oz – which is only in the 10th percentile for her gestational age. The good news is that they also measured the blood flow from the umbilical cord and the amniotic fluid – all of which were perfectly normal. After the ultrasound they performed a non-stress test which basically evaluates the babies heartbeat over time and its response to movement. She passed beautifully – her heartbeat accelerated during times of movement, showed variation, etc. – all good signs. Unfortunately at this point my blood pressure was sky high (not terribly surprising given all the hoopla in the last hour) so my Dr. sent me to the Labor/Delivery floor to be monitored and continue with the fetal monitoring. Eventually my blood pressure came back down to normal so I was allowed to come home.

I’ll be on bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy and I have to see the doctor 2 times a week. I’ll get an ultrasound every week to monitor the blood flow from the cord/placenta and also a non-stress test twice a week. I don’t have any signs of pre-eclampsia (swelling, protein, etc.) so that is very good news. In 3 weeks (at 36 weeks gestation) we’ll recheck her growth and make a decision on whether or not to deliver. Hopefully the bed rest will increase the blood, oxygen, etc. that gets to the baby as well as keep my blood pressure down.

I'm feeling better today. I've been reading about IUGR/SGA (interuterine growth restriction/small for gestational age) and it's fairly common. They don't really know why it happens - my Dr. said it's not my fault but I don't know if she's just saying that to keep my BP down or if she really means it. All I can do now is relax, keep my stress down, get enough calories, etc. and hope that the baby has a growth spurt in the next 3 weeks. Growth ultrasounds are notoriously inaccurate so I'm trying not to get too hung up on the numbers and just praying that she keeps growing and the placenta keeps doing its job. If not, then we'll deliver early and have a little, but likely healthy, baby. She looked beautiful on the ultrasound - she's already headdown and was sucking her thumb. She was also pracitcing her breathing which is a great sign that her lungs are developing.

Anyways - if anyone has suggestions for great websites, hobbies, books, etc. to keep me occupied while on bedrest I would love to hear them! Thanks for all your prayers and I'll post updates twice a week.

We're getting close!!

I can't believe we only have 2 months left - it's crazy how fast this has flown by. I feel like the next 2 months are either going to drag out forever though or go by in a flash. Not sure which I would prefer either...Anyways, we're leaving today for Michgina for my 2nd baby shower - this is with my husband's family. I don't know many of them but it should be a fun time! We've also completed the nursery so I attached some pictures. I'm feeling good - my Dr's appoitment last week went fine, nothing new to report. I'm thinking about asking for an ultrasound at my appoitment next week. I think it'll help with some of my anxiety. I just want to see that she's growing ok, the cord isn't wrapped around her neck, etc. My Dr. is pretty understanding so I think she'll be ok with it.

Anyways, here are the pictures of our nursery!





And here's a picture of my big tummy at 31w5d. I cannot believe that she's going to double in size in the next 8 weeks!!

29 weeks - and a belly shot!

Things are good here - nothing too new to report. But I took a picture of my tummy on Monday so I thought I would share. I've been feeling especially big lately - and I think I'm waddling when I walk. :( So here it is, my 29 week picture: