johnanderica's profile

johnanderica
	Age: Country: Private Province/region: Private City: Private Partner: John Children: Yes, 1 Pregnant: Not anymore Due date: 16 Jan ,2008 Occupation:
	Online: 36 days ago. Last updated: 142 days ago. Member since: 332 days
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My Birthstory:

She was 7 lbs 5 oz and 21 inches long @ birth. I went into labor at like 7 am on Saturday morning... well at least that's when the contractions started waking me up. They were about 12 mins apart at that point... by 9 am they were 10 mins apart consistently and getting a bit stronger... I decided I wanted to stay home as long as possible so that I wouldn't be tempted to get the epidural. By 2 pm the contractions were 5 mins apart and getting even more intense. I still waited it out, but John and I started packing the rest of the stuff for my hospital bag at this point... By 5 pm my contractions were a minute and a half to 2 minutes apart so I called the doctor. He told me to come on in to the hospital, so I got my stuff together and we left for the 45 min. drive to the hospital. The car ride was the worst part because I had this fear that I might have the baby in the car. haha. I had been calm at home (and I was calm again when I got to the hospital) but the car ride just freaked me out! haha. So... 11 hours after this all started I checked into triage at the hospital and they told me I was 4 cm dilated and my contractions were a minute and a half apart. About an hour later they took me to my LDR room where they checked me again and I was 6 cm dilated. my contractions were still about 1.5 minutes apart. At that point, my breathing started getting more and more shallow and I was getting EXTREMELY lightheaded.. I felt like I was gonna pass out in between contractions (probably because I hadn't eaten anything lately and was already SOOO TIRED!). The nurse told me I had to either get my breathing under control or I had to get an epidural. I tried for about the next 20 minutes to get my breathing under control, but at that point I was just too far gone... So... I got into bed and they gave me the epidural. I have to say, as much as I'd dreaded it and avoided it (about 12.5 hours at this point) it was like a GODSEND! I was able to relax and be sociable and concentrate on what was about to happen... However, it SERIOUSLY stalled my labor. The put me on pitocin because a few hours later I hadn't progressed at all. Around 11pm, I was still only 8 cm dilated and my epidural was starting to run out... the anesthesiologist (sp??) came to re-dose my epidural, but before he'd even gotten much in at all, I started vomitting. I spiked a fever of 101.4 and Melanie's heartrate dropped dangerously low! they rolled me on my left side to help her heartrate get back up to normal, but it took about 3 hours to get her completely stabilized. Throughout that time (and for a many hours after) I had basically NO epidural in me whatsoever... They asked me if I wanted them to come and re-dose it once her heartrate got back to normal, but I did NOT want them to do that again in case it made her heartrate drop again... (plus I really didn't wanna vomit anymore. haha). Also, at this point they had me on oxygen because something else wasn't right... I dont even know anymore because I was soooo tired and out of it. So, around 2am I was still only 8 cm dilated and they were starting to get a little concerned... They left and said they'd come back in 2 hours to check on me.

Well, about an hour later I started feeling a small urge to push... I called the nurse in, but no one came. So, I called again. Finally a girl answered the call button and said she'd send Jen (our nurse) in as soon as she could. Well, 20 minutes later still no sign of Jen... FINALLY I sent John out to look for her because I was PISSED! haha. The urge to push was getting alot stronger and I was about to kill somebody if a nurse didn't appear soon! haha. Finally, Jen walked in limping and apologized but said she'd been in the nursury checking on something and she fell. She really hurt herself and couldn't get up. The other nurses had paged her telling her to come to my room, but she couldn't move and the other nurses didnt know she hadn't already come to check on me... well, I guess Jen took some pain meds and came in to help me. At this point it was about 4 am and I had a REALLY strong urge to push... so, I started pushing and pushed for 2.5 hours. After a bit, Jen said she was a little concerned because I was pushing effectively and Melanie was getting lower and lower, but then we got to a point where it seemed that she was getting stuck on my tailbone... so she started doing some perineal stretches where as I pushed she would press her finger down really hard around Melanie's head and try and get a little extra room for her to get out... Well, it wasn't working and after 2.5 hours of pushing the dr came in to check on my progress... He watched as I pushed with a few contractions, and at that point noticed that I was leaking Maconium. He said Melanie had passed her Maconium and we needed to get her out fairly quickly before she swallowed it... He said we could continue trying to push her out vaginally and he would have to use the forceps and vacuum, but she would probably clip my tailbone (and I would have pain for basically forever) and we still might have to end up having a c-section, OR we could just go ahead and do it now... he said his recommendation was to do it now because he wanted to get her out quickly before she had a chance to swallow any maconium.. So I quickly agreed that we needed to do whatever was best for her (besides, a broken tailbone for forever doesn't really sound too appealing!). It took them about 10 minutes to get me prepped in the room and get the OR ready before they wheeled me down. They made John wait outside while they prepped me IN the OR. Finally, they asked me if I was ready and I said "where's my husband?". they said he'll be here in a minute. about 60 seconds later, John walked in and before he could even sit down next to me they started cutting me open. From the time they first made the incision to the time she was out was about 3 minutes. She didnt' cry for the first few minutes (which worried me) but they said that was good because they didnt want her to swallow any of the maconium. They rushed her over to where the NICU was waiting and they intibated her and pumped her stomach. Luckily, she hadn't swallowed any of the maconium! :-) I caught glimpses of her, but I continued to drift in and out of consciousness because of how exhausted I was. She was born at 5:57am on Sunday January 27th. I was in labor for 23 hours! :-(

It took them about 40 minutes to put me all back together (much longer than normal because they'd had to make an incision twice as long as normal since she was stuck in my birth canal and they had to back her out...). Also, she bruised my lung with her foot while she was kicking when they were trying to pull her out... Made for a fun recovery, let me tell ya! haha. I dont remember ANYTHING after they had finished sewing me back up except a few patches of conversation. I dont remember them wheeling me down to my recovery room or transferring me from the OR table back to my bed. haha can you imagine not remembering being lifted?? haha. I was basically out of it until around noon on Sunday when I finally was awake enough (and had enough strength) to hold her. John brought her to me and it was one of the best moments of my life! I was stuck in bed with a catheter for a day and a half which sucked, but there was no way in hell I could've gotten up to go to the bathroom before then! I finally was able to sit up at the edge of the bed monday afternoon. At that point the nurse realized that someone had forgotten to take my epidural needle out! haha. Nice huh? it didnt hurt anything luckily, but it could've been very bad! I finally got up and walked around Tuesday afternoon and by the time they released me wednesday night I was able to walk on my own without support from someone else, although I wasn't very steady! It took me until the following tuesday (9 days post partum) to be able to pick Melanie up on my own without someone else having to hand her to me.. Now we're both doing great and couldn't be happier!

Hey Everyone!

I've been on this site for the last few months, but somehow my page was deleted... (My old name was ImaGonnaBeAMomma.) I'm happy to be back on and excited to hear from anyone and everyone. Good luck to all the pregnant women and here's to happy, healthy babies! :-)

We have chosen our baby names!
Melanie Morgan for a girl!
Patrick Michael for a boy!

It's A GIRL!!!!

pregnancy

(8/9/07)

(8/10/07)

Good morning!

The last few days have been pretty good! Last night I was having some cramping pain in my stomach which I know from past experience is my uterus growing. Even though it's pretty uncomfortable, I get excited when I feel it because it means within a few days my stomach will grow. Some people may laugh at the fact that I get excited by that, but since I'm nearly 5 months pregnant and I have yet to even look pregnant to most of the world, I think it's GREAT! The only problem I've had lately is trying to sleep through the night. It seems like I can only sleep for 4-5 hours before I wake up. Then it takes me about an hour to get back to sleep, and I undoubtedly wake up again around 7:30. Like clockwork. Guess my body knows it's time to get on a schedule. haha. I just wish my body would give me the next 4.5 months of freedom to sleep before I really don't have a choice. O well, it's completely worth it!

Today will be a long day for me. I'm going to the State Fair in this INSANELY hot (even for Indiana) weather. I won't be going until later, but I know it'll still be a pretty tiring day for me. But it's the State Fair.. and it's tradtion... how can you not go? :-) More updates to come.

(8/11/07)

BENCHMARK!!

Last night I felt the baby kick for the first time! It was absolutely amazing! S/he kicked SO HARD! It was definitely unmistakeable! Then, s/he continued to kick (about 4 more times) for the next half hour. Every book I've read says in the beginning you'll probably feel one kick and then not another for a few days. I guess our baby is pretty active. Now I think that's great, but we'll see how I feel in a few years. ;-)

Until last night I have not had any strong feelings one way or another about the gender of our baby. But, after s/he was kicking last night, I definitely have been feeling like it is a girl. I'm not sure why and I could be completely wrong, but I immediately imagined a girl. Either way, we don't care, but we have been leaning more toward a girl. John likes the idea of him and "his girls." :-) I think that would be pretty great also! But neither of us would lose any sleep over having a boy. Actually, we both really wanted a boy in the beginning. I'm not sure when, but somewhere along the way we changed our minds. haha. Well, busy day-back to work.

(8/12/07)

SLEEP!

Last night was amazing! I actually slept through the night and didn't wake up until 10 AM! The latest I've been able to sleep is 7:30. That's including the nights I've been awake for an hour or so in the middle of the night. I'm very excited and feel refreshed this morning. A friend of mine had her baby yesterday so I'll be going to see him today. I couldn't be more excited!

(8/22/07)

TEST TIME!* *
In 5 days from today, we will (hopefully) find out the gender of our baby!! We cannot be more excited! Today I have been curious about all of the "Gender Predictor" tests, so I figured I'd try them all out and post their results on our page. I'm curious to see the results, but please know I'm not running out to buy any pink or blue clothes after today's trial run tests... :-) In 5 days we'll (hopefully) know for sure! I say hopefully because it would be our luck that this baby will have his/her legs crossed and the technician wouldn't be able to tell. haha. But HOPEFULLY not! Enjoy our tests results!

Test # 1 (OLD WIVES TALE TEST)

33% chance
of a boy

67% chance
of a girl

Congratulations! The old wives tales indicate that you are having a girl!

Test # 2 (CHINESE LUNAR CALENDAR)

Woman's Birth Year: 1986 Month: 10 Day: 24 Time Zone: CSTConception Year: 2007 Month: 4 Day: 25 Time Zone: EST

It's a boy! (Chinese Age 22 at Lunar month 3)

Test # 3 (HEART RATE PREDICTION)

Above 140 BPM = GirlBelow 140 BPM = Boy

My results: Visit #1: 146 BPM (GIRL)Visit # 2: 165 BPM (GIRL)Visit # 3: 148 BPM (GIRL)

End Result: IT'S A GIRL!

Test # 4 (WEDDING RING METHOD)

This test tells you to attach your wedding ring to a piece of string and lay down. Holding the string with the ring over your stomach, let the ring swing in whichever direction it goes. If it swings in a circular motion, it's a girl, if it swings back and forth like a pendulum, it's a boy.

My results: Inconclusive! The first time I tried it, it was definitely swinging in a circular motion (GIRL) but when I tried it again, it swung like a pendulum (BOY). I think I (as the test conductor) have too much control over the outcome of this test and can (by minute finger control) unconsciously affect the results.

Test # 5 (DRANO TEST)

I've decided not to try this test because of the controversy around a pregnant woman inhaling the fumes. Sorry, it's just not worth the risk to only come out with faulty results. I'm sure you understand. Besides, in 5 days we'll know for sure! (Again, HOPEFULLY!)

FINAL WORD

At a score of 2-1-1 (2 for Girl, 1 for Boy, and 1 inconclusive), my "Prediction" is that we will be having a GIRL! * * * * *Like I said, I"m not running off to the store to purchase 7 different shades of pink dresses, but this was a fun little experiment to get us excited for the BIG DAY! (haha-to think, the baby isn't even here yet and we're already celebrating a "BIG DAY.") Check back on August 27th for the OFFICIAL result of our baby's gender.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

(8/27/07)

Today is the big day! The ultrasound is at 2pm so check back this evening for our results! :-)

(8/28/07)

IT's a GIRL!!!!!! haha. YAY! We couldn't be happier! John is ecstatic because he really wanted a girl and I was on the fence and am just so happy they baby is healthy! So far, she looks like she's gonna be a BIG baby! :-) She was 12 oz. yesterday and most babies her age are between 9-10 oz. For now, I'm really happy about her being so big. It means she's healthy! But we'll see how I feel in 4 months during the delivery. haha! I'm sure we'll be just fine! Check back for more updates. :-)

(8/29/2007)

Pregnancy Survey
About You
Name?:	Erica
Age?:	20
Height?:	5'4"
Pre-pregnancy weight?:	164
About The Father
Name?:	John
Age?:	28
Height?:	5'9"ish
Are you still together?:	Forever
About Your Pregnancy
Is this your first pregnancy?:	yep
When did you find out you were pregnant?:	May 18 (My dad's b-day)
Was it planned?:	Yes and No
What was your first reaction?:	We were so happy!
Who was with you when you found out?:	My husband
Who was the first person you told?:	I think we told my parents first...
How did your parents react?:	Mine: happy and surprised. His: SOOOO HAPPY!!!
How far along are you?:	20 Weeks
What was your first symptom?:	MORNING SICKNESS :-(
What is your due date?:	January 18, 2008
Do you know the sex of the baby?:	Yes!!
If so, what is it?:	Little Princess
Have you picked out names?:	Sure have
If so, what are they?:	Melanie Morgan
How much weight have you gained?:	haha (-3.5 lbs.) from starting weight. or +6.5 lbs. after dropping weight from the morning sickness :-)
Do you have stretch marks?:	Not yet (cross your fingers!)
Have you felt the baby move?:	Yes :-)
Have you heard the heartbeat?:	Uh huh
About the birth
Will you keep the baby?:	Of course!
Home or hospital birth?:	Hospital
Natural or medicated birth?:	haha. We'll see how long I can hold out...
Who will be in the delivery room with you?:	The daddy! <3
Will you breastfeed?:	Breast is best
Do you think you'll need a c-section?:	I hope not! Unless she keeps growing like she is... :-)
Will you cry when you hold the baby for the first time?:	Most definitely- it's almost a guarantee.
What's the first thing you might say to him/her?:	"You're so beautiful" or "I love you"
Would you let someone videotape the birth?:	hmm... we'll see. Probably not.
Are you excited about the birth, or scared?:	SOOO EXCITED!!! it's one day of pain for an eternity of happiness!

(9/6/07)

I'll tell you what- this little girl sure knows how to get on her mama's bad side right off the bat! :-) She has been making me sooooo uncomfortable for the last few days! Yesterday she decided it would be a good idea to put her head up under my ribcage... I guess she took a good nap up under there because she felt the need to stay up all night kicking me... :-) I can't complain too much, but I definitely am NOT HAPPY about the ribcage thing. I can count on 1 hand the number of times I've been frustrated to tears during this pregnancy and yesterday was one of them... Well, hopefully soon she'll find another cozy spot and bury herself there.

(9/11/07)

Hello all! Just had to share a wonderful experience with you! Last night my pregnancy pillow arrived and I enjoyed the BEST SLEEP EVER! No joke, best sleep even pre-pregnancy.. :-) It was amazing and the pillow supports you in all the right places, but still gives you room to wiggle around. I'll paste the info below so everyone else can enjoy the best sleep also! haha. The info is:

All Nighter Total Body Pregnancy Pillow by Leachco

$49.88 + tax (no shipping cost!)

Features and Specifications:

This ingenious idea helps relieve insomnia due to aches, pains, stiffness or late-pregnancy discomforts: The All Nighter pillow, a candy cane-shaped body pillow that can be molded into numerous positions to support the entire body. The pillow's 3 specially designed, contoured shapes work together as a unit to give support, elevation and comfort where you need it most. Developed by a registered nurse. Distinguishing features: Long enough to support the entire body; removable, washable cover.

Multipositional body pillow for sleeping comfort and relief from stress points and pain
Extra-wide and long head section for versatile sleeping styles or for those who love to hug the pillow
Longer cylindrical section to support your shoulders, back and buttocks
Perfect length for tucking between your knees to relieve hip and back strain while keeping your spine properly aligned and the cool air flowing
Shorter, bell-shaped section ideally shaped for abdominal or back support in the later stages of pregnancy
100% polyester fiberfill
Machine washable ivory cover is 50% polyester, 50% cotton
Dimensions: 78"L x 27"W x 6"D
Available online only

Shipping weight: 7.5lbs

Assembled in: USA

Origin of Components: USA

Walmart No:002671920

WEll, there it is... And, it's made in the US, which is just a rare treat lately. At least now you know there's no lead paint involved. haha. Sorry, couldn't help myself. Hope everyone takes my advice and purchases this pillow. It's DEFINITELY worth the $. I would've paid that $52 I spent just for the great sleep I had LAST NIGHT! haha. Have a good one!

(9/12/07)

Single best thing in the world right now: Chocolate Strawberry Milkshake. Enough said...

(10/11/07)

It's been a while since I've updated. Not much to say.... I'm a week away from my third trimester and I feel great. I don't have any major complaints. Just tiredness and some of the ribcage/breathing problems. Could be way worse so I don't consider it anything worth complaining about. That's it for now I guess. :-)

(1/8/08)

Well, it seems like everyone but me has had their babies... :-( haha. That's not true, deklansmommy (so far as I know) still hasn't had hers, but I have to say I'm pretty bummed about the fact that I'm STILL PREGNANT! What's up with this?? lol. She's getting SOOOO big and I'm getting SOOOOOO uncomfortable! Can't she understand that she's making her mama very miserable? Come on Melanie, it's time to get out! :-) Well, hopefully the next time I update it's because I'm posting our birth story and not because I've murdered someone because I'm still pregnant and turned crazy. :-) lol.

(1/16/08)

Well today is the day... my official unofficial due date... I'm actually not as uncomfortable as I thought I'd be... that day ^ was the WORST, but it got much better in the days that followed... it could have been due to the fact that the temperature had been in the 20s and 30s and then jumped to 60 overnight... made me HOT and MISERABLE. lol. Anyway, as excited as I am for her to get here, I'm okay with her taking her time. I know she'll come when she's ready... At this point, I can look forward to whatever happens because I know I dont have long to wait... I'm going to the doctor in about an hour (it's 7:30 am here and I've been up already for an hour and a half because I can't ever sleep anymore...). We'll see what kind of news he'll have for me. Again though, I'm not really looking for a certain answer one way or the other... I've come to realize that she's coming when SHE'S ready and nothing anyone else can say or do will change that (except with drugs and such). As of now, I'm paitently awaiting the birth of our first baby, Melanie. Well, off to get ready I suppose. Thanks for checking up on me. I'll be sure to let you know when things start to happen!

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babyduche - 35.5 hours ago
Hey Guys,
Just wanted to tell you guys about McKenzie! She's doing great, she's saying dada, calls me dama, and baba. She had her first fireworks display last night and she loved every second of it because we where right by where Pittsburgh sets them off, except a few gangbangers decided to have a major fight in the middle of the display. She's official 16lb5oz and 26.5in long. She's crawling like a maniac, trying to stand on her own, which is funny because she's not trying to use any help. She's trying to walk also. She ate a lot yesterday, she had 2 fillets of mallot fish, a banana popsicle, string cheese, and pineapple none of it was baby food either. She was just a eating machine. Talk to you guys later and good luck with your kids, babies to be or making the little ones!

DeklansMommy - Friday, 4 July
Hiya girlies!!! It's been a while since I've been on i-a-p.com! Things have been interesting over here. My dad fired my hubby two weeks after Gavin was born, then it took Trav 2 months to find a job and start. Now I'm about to take a travel nurse contract in Walnut Creek, CA. Trav was also hit head-on about 2 weeks ago, our truck was totalled. Life has been just way too interesting these days...I just can't wait for it to all settle down! Anyhoo, I just wanted to let you girls all know that you're in my thoughts. I miss the old chat days!! *sigh* Gavin is 5.5 months old now! Deklan will be 4 this month...where does time go? Oh, and we've had a couple of preggo scares since Gavin was born...I'm getting an IUD!!! Ack!!! It's just too much stress wondering if I'm preggo again or not. :D I miss you all so much!!! I hope you and your families/babies are doing well!!

romma - Sunday, 22 June
well ladies hope you are all well and your lil ones in and out of you all!! we are well also, just busy since boys are on summer break, and lil roman almost 10 mths and crawling, standing with help of furniture, he has fallen a few times, guess he has to get the certificate from nature proof of he paid his dues to get to walk.

anyways just checking in you all, make sure all is going better for ya all. holla back, miss ya all!!!! them olden days of chat.

romma - Wednesday, 18 June
hello mamas, now some of you may be still preggy meggies, and some may already have popped them babies, how are you all, bellies, babies and whatnots? hope you are all fine and in good health. write mama goose romma once in a while. keep well ya all.

romma - Sunday, 15 June
thanks ya all for the comments about the pics, lol where is the time rushing off to? why do they have to grow so damn fast? well thats my song all this last 6 mths, i guess i just have to soak in every lil minute with him. do the same mamas, you will blink and they are saying bye mama iam going to school!!

well all of you keep well and kiss the babies and rub the bellies.

romma - Sunday, 15 June
hello mamas, hope you are all well, we are good just making the best of the days no matter how tired we are. anyways check out romans new pics and let me know if ya all have new pics or whatnots. take care and God bless, stay healthy.

busybeemom - Saturday, 14 June
Automatic update: busybeemom added a new blog: Jumperoo baby!

busybeemom - Saturday, 14 June
Automatic update: busybeemom added a new blog: Destinee's concert

busybeemom - Saturday, 14 June
Automatic update: busybeemom added a new blog: Sophie\'s videos

busybeemom - Friday, 13 June
Automatic update: busybeemom added a new blog: Today is...

busybeemom - Thursday, 12 June
Automatic update: busybeemom added a new blog: Sophie is

shygurlie1013 - Friday, 16 May

�I'm so glad that you put this pic up because I feel so much better about my stretch marks. I swear I had the worst stretch marks in the world, but it looks just like yours. Doesn't it suck that we have these horrible stretch marks now? I hate it when people dont even get any at all. I'ts not fair. :( Oh well, we got our precious babies out of it. How have you been doing? Haven't heard from you in awhile. We're doing good here. Aiden is smiling a lot and likes to have conversations. Oh and I put up some new pics if you'd like to take a look. I would like to see some more of Melanie. :)

romma - Monday, 12 May
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY ERICA!!!! HOPE YOU AND BABY ARE WELL. TAKE CARE AND GOD BLESS!!!

vdlovell - Thursday, 17 April