We're home......

We are finally home from the hospital. For those that do not know already, here are her stats:

Delaney Reese Ward
4:50 pm 3/23/08
7 lbs. 0 oz.
20 1/2 inches

I went into labor Saturday night around 8 pm with contractions coming about every 15 minutes. Then it sped up to every 7 minutes by 2 am. I called the doctor and let him know. We stayed at home for about another 1 1/2 and decided to head to the hospital. We got into the hospital and got checked in and everything and I was at 5 cm. Since I didn't post Friday after my doctor appointment, I was at 2 cm and 80% effaced Friday morning. Since some can stay there for awhile, I didn't think anything of it.

Back to the labor. I got an epidural around 6 am since I was experiencing back labor and it was getting worse, not to mention I had been awake almost 24 hours at that point and was getting tired. Then I was able to sleep at 2 1/2 hours which was great. Labor started slowing down so I was given Pitocin to help speed things up. I started pushing around 2 pm and wasn't progressing very much. Dr. Hodges came in and we tried some different things to get help progress things along because I was getting very tired. We finally got things going around 4 pm and then she was born!

She is absolutely beautiful and everyone says she looks like Jeff. I posted some pictures on the blog and will post some more on Shutterfly sometime this week, so let me know if you want to be sent those.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to see us at the hospital. We will keep everyone updated....

Love to you all,

Jeff, Rebekah, Delaney (Weiland and Lyla too!)

Dr. Appointment 3-12-08......

I went to the doctor today. Nothing much happened. Delaney's heartbeat went down a little, which is normal for this time of pregnancy. She is really messing with my circulation and causing not only my feet to swell but a numbness in my hands and arms, especially my right hand and fingers which makes it a little hard to write and type but I am getting by. I am becoming more and more tired everyday, but heading to bed a little earlier has been a blessing. I don't know what I would do if I was still working late nights and on my feet all day working retail that is for sure.

On Wednesday, a friend of ours also took us out and about downtown Boise for a few pictures which was fun. We hadn't really had our picture taken together since our wedding and that was awhile ago now. She will also took some of Delaney once she arrives.

That's about it otherwise I am just stocking up on things we will need once she is here and "nesting" around the house. My next doctor appointment is: Friday, March 21st. By then I should have another belly picture up...hopefully.......

March 5th Dr. Appt.....

My weekly doctor appointments began today. This means the home stretch has begun. I had a gain of almost 5 pounds (up 15.5 pounds total) so I had a nice gain over the last two weeks. I talked to the doctor about my circulation issues and when I am sitting/standing Delaney is cutting off my circulation and causing my legs to swell (how dare she!). He suggested keeping my feet up and laying down in the evenings, so we will give this a try...My belly was measuring slightly behind today at 35.5 weeks, which he said is normal for me because I am all baby belly. I had my group b strep test and I was on my way. I only had to wait ten minutes past my appointment time to see him today, I believe it is a record! Jeff was also able to join the appointment since it was downtown. Other than the swelling everything is great!

Swollen feet......

Well the "pregnancy woes" have hit and my feet and ankles aka "cankles" have begun to show. I decided to post a picture of what have so far been the worst. This is from Friday night after I had been home for a few hours keeping them iced and elevated. Very cute! I don't know what caused them as I was not on my feet very much that day and they just all of a sudden appeared.

On Saturday, I was able to indulge in a prenatal massage at the Floating Feather day spa courtesy of Colliers International. It was wonderful. As a treat to my friend Allison for throwing my shower and for her birthday, I decided to invite her to join me. We had a great time getting pampered and we went and did a little shopping afterward.

My Grandma and Grandpa Heldt arrive in Boise tomorrow to stay for a week while my aunt and uncle enjoy a vacation, so it will be nice to see them while they are here. I will post more soon....

Baby Shower 2-23-08.......

Delaney's baby shower was last Saturday and she got lots of great stuff!! Everyone was very generous and it was great to see lots of familiar faces...including that of my mom, Esther and my sister Mary who flew down to Boise from Seattle for the occasion. It was great to be surrounded by my family, Jeff's family, and our friends.....

On Sunday, Jeff and I went to Babies R Us and bought some of our "necessities" that we need when Delaney arrives. She is kicking and keeping me up at night and has the hiccups frequently during the days. While I am at work she loves to kick while I am trying to concentrate!

Her room is all set up with the exception of her chair we ordered, but that should be arriving soon....we hope!

Delaney will be having an eventful first few weeks.....Jeff has his PE exam on April 11th and our beloved Boise State Broncos will have their Spring Game later that evening...if the weather cooperates Delaney and I will make an appearance, but we will see. Last year it was almost too warm and the year before it rained!

Doctor Appointment 2-21-08.....

I had my 34 week check up today. Nothing big to report. Delaney's heartbeat was at 148 bph so still very strong. She is head down and running out of room. I was measuring at 34 weeks and I had gained 1/2 pound since my last appointment. So I have gained 10.5 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. I asked a bunch of general questions regarding my doctor's policy of what to when I go into labor and what happens afterward. Other than that, my weekly appointments will begin on Wednesday, March 5. I have my group b strep test also scheduled for that day.

Updated pictures.....

So I finally remembered to update the pictures today! These were just taken last night so they are brand new! Too bad the front one wasn't a close-up. The scar from where my belly button was pierced has grown and stretched. So what your parents tell you about piercings is true. They may be cute when you are younger, but give it 5-10 years and you will regret it. Hopefully it will go back down sometime after Delaney is born, but we will see. With 6 +/- weeks left to go, my belly is starting to feel heavy and I have become quite grumpy in the mornings (according to Jeff). My insomnia disappeared for a short while but has now returned again.

We have Delaney's room almost finished, we are just waiting on a chair we ordered in early January to be delivered (sometime soon hopefully) and we have a few things to add to the wall. I will post pictures soon (maybe without the chair for now). We are still (slowly) marking things off of our to do list. My friend Allison is throwing a baby shower for us next weekend that I am excited about and on Friday we have plans to attend my company's annual ski day up at Bogus Basin. So with today off and a short day Friday and a shower on Saturday, this is going to be a short but eventful week. Oh, I also have my next doctor appointment this Thursday! Check back then for details....

Doctor Appointment 2-7-08

I had my appointment yesterday. It was a long one-the wait that is. I waited for one and a half hours before I was seen for my 15 minutes. Why the long wait?? It is a long story, with a sad ending involving another patient so I won't go into details. Now about my appointment....I didn't gain ANY weight since my last visit, but my blood pressure was normal again (even after all the waiting).

I was able to mark three things off my to-do list Dr. Hodges presented me with the previous appointment: we attended childbirth preparation classes, sent in the pre-registration application to the hospital, and found a pediatrician (Dr. Archibald). So that was nice, now if we can only mark a few more off this weekend: packing the hospital bag, buy her going home outfit, finishing her room a little more, going out to a nice dinner, and spending some time together playing our new Wii.

At my last appointment Dr. Hodges warned me that this is the "not so fun" part of pregnancy. Meaning I will get uncomfortable, have trouble sleeping, horrible heart burn, etc. For the most part it is still quite enjoyable except that I have now had heartburn (a first ever) and acid reflux is becoming a problem. But the good news is her heartbeat is still strong and she is still in the birthing position (head down), so that made me feel better.

I have also been able to see her moving more inside. It is amazing to lay on the couch and watch her move my entire belly about! I will post a new picture this weekend!

My next appointment is scheduled for: Thursday, February 21.

32 weeks......

Well we have made it 32 weeks and it is really going by fast. I cannot believe she will be here very soon. I don't feel like I gained much weight for my doctor appointment tomorrow, but it says I should be gaining a pound a week right now and 1/2 of it goes directly to Delaney. We have her bedroom almost finished thanks to Grandma Johnson (my mom) and Uncle Andy who sent a beautiful light fixture to add to her room. We installed a dimmer last weekend and we should be receiving our chair we ordered any day now.

I am beginning to have quite a few contractions (Braxton Hicks) lately, but that is normal. I will post more tomorrow after my appointment.

Dr. Appt on January 25, 2008......

I had my first every two weeks doctor appointment yesterday afternoon. Boy was the office busy, I waited over an hour patiently to see my doctor after this rude couple decided to show up ten minutes late for their ultrasound...the nerve! Dr. Hodges measured my belly again and it is right on schedule, on the small side of course. But he was pleased to find that had gained 4.5 pounds in the last two weeks (cannot say I felt the same). So now I have hit 10 pounds gained! Yikes! My blood pressure was also abnormally high yesterday, so I need to watch my stress levels, but it is hard to do when you are waiting and it starts snowing outside and you just want to go home. My belly is starting to become heavy and I can feel Delaney moving constantly now. According to my email updates she is supposed to be developing sleep patterns right now, but that is not the case.

We started our childbirth preparation classes on Wednesday and that was interesting. Just listening to other couples talk about their pregnancies and to hear how many of them were unplanned. Last week we had a baby care class where they taught basic care and we got to ask a pediatrician questions. Jeff really liked him, so we are going to schedule a consultation shortly with him to see about having him as Delaney's doctor. We also are looking at daycares right now, which is no easy task we have found. In Idaho there is a 4:1 ratio of infants to caregiver and not many are currently accepting infants at the moment-thank goodness we don't live in a bigger city!

Well that is pretty much it for now! My friends Allison, Shannon, and Laila are planning a baby shower for us on February 23rd, so we are looking forward to that and my next doctor appointment is scheduled for February 7th!

Almost 29 weeks!

I had my one hour glucose test yesterday. It wasn't nearly as bad as everyone told me, the sugary "glucola" sent Delaney's heart racing faster than I had heard it before. I will get my results next week, hopefully I passed.

I have gained 5 1/2 pounds as of yesterday, so everything is going well. I also got my belly measured for the first time and it is right on schedule for March 28 my new EDD calculation.
After our appointment, Jeff and I went and ordered a glider chair for the nursery, so now we have somewhere to read her bedtime stories.

Last night, Jeff and his friend Nathan went and bought all their supplies to put our new flooring down in the house, which I cannot wait to see completed. Tonight we head back to Seattle for the weekend to visit my family and have a Seattle family graduation party that my Aunt and Uncle are throwing for me tomorrow.

Well now the exciting part begins and I have my next four appointments scheduled every two weeks. After those, the weekly ones begin! We are now in the homestretch!

27, almost 28 weeks......

Well it is getting closer and closer. I cannot believe how fast this is going by. We have made a little more progress on getting her room set up. And a name, we have finally chosen her name!
She is.......Delaney Reese!! My tummy is really starting to round, yet my belly button has not popped out yet. I will post a new picture this weekend, as I believe there will be quite a difference from the last picture. I have my one hour glucose test next Thursday (not looking forward to this) and then Friday we head to Seattle to see my family one last time before she makes her arrival.

24-25 weeks.....

We had an appointment last Thursday. I have gained two more pounds (my goal) and now have totaled almost three pounds. Dr. Hodges gave me an ultrasound (since the machine happened to be there) and we got to see the baby was no longer breach. However the baby must have changed its mind because I can feel it is now breach again judging from the kicks and where they are centered. The baby is very active now and is rolling around and kicking, etc. Lyla Belle loves to lay on my belly and feel the baby move around and if you know Lyla that is definitely not her thing to do! Other than that the doctor says I look great and the pregnancy is "perfect". I think I am going to start trying to rebuild "some" of the muscle tone I lost when I was sick and get my strength back, especially when I am going to be doing a lot of lifting soon.

Oh yeah, the crib and changing table are now up, we just need to do a little decorating here and there and the room will be complete. Next post will be after Christmas and I will post a few name choices to take opinions!

Oh congratulations to my dear friend Allison-she just found out Friday that she is going to be having Baby Boy #3! Congrats Allison and Victor (Connor and Zachery)!!!

Try this link.....

This link should take you to YouTube where the videos were uploaded. The heartbeat does not include sound, but it is fun to see how fast it goes.

http://www.youtube.com/JeffandRebekah

Two great links.....

I went through the CD the Dr. gave and have posted two great videos. One of the babies heartbeat, which unfortunately the sound isn't working, but you can see how fast it beats. The second is of the baby playing hide and seek during the ultrasound.

An update......the baby now kicks like crazy. During take off and landing of our flight to/from Hawaii the baby was fluttering around the entire time. I feel so much movement it is wonderful to lie awake and feel every kick and squirm. Jeff finally got to feel the baby move and kick last Thursday and he could not believe the movement. We have an active baby on our hands!

The Big Appointment!

So we had our 20 week fetal scan today. So much fun. We found out what we were having after some major coaxing to get the baby to cooperate. "It" is breach and had it's legs crossed. My placenta is in front and is absorbing most of the kicking, thank goodness because during the ultrasound it was kicking my bladder beyond belief. The technician could not believe how much movement we encountered. We got to watch "it" suck it thumb, open it's mouth to yawn, and got a great look of it's face. It was absolutely beautiful. Everything is forming wonderfully and all of the vital organs look good and healthy, which was the most important and puts my fears to rest. We got a CD full of tons of pictures and lots of pictures to keep. There are some amazing ones of the feet and face. It was an amazing day!

20 weeks....

We have reached the halfway point. I began to feel a little movement yesterday in my belly finally! The little flutters have begun. I stayed awake almost all night feeling them and would wake Jeff every few minutes to check them out...unfortunately the baby would not cooperate. I am having an upside down pregnancy. I had to wear maternity pants at 6 weeks, now at 20 weeks, I am back into my regular clothes again. Huh? Very weird!

This Friday we find out if it is a little boy or girl, but everyone will have to wait. We are not going to tell until Christmas! By then we hopefully will have decided on a name, because as of right now, there are a few front runners, but nothing we can decide on. I will post a little recap of the appointment and maybe the ultrasound. An updated belly photo will also pop up in the next week or two, but there isn't much to see!

Next week........Hawaii aka Heaven!

October 30th Dr. Appointment.....

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and I have almost gained a whole pound now! Dr. Hodges gave me a high five when his nurse reported the gain. He has a feeling I am going to be on the low-end of gaining weight, unless I really pack on the pounds in the last three months. He let me listen to the heartbeat and we found the placenta is facing outward of my belly so that is preventing me from feeling any movement at this point and it may cause issues when trying to do the fetal scan in a few weeks, so hopefully it will move a little bit at that point, if not we will have to wait a little longer and try again. Other than that everything else is good, the heartbeat is still fast and strong.

17 Weeks!

Gosh, the whole pregnancy is going by so fast. I have a hard time keeping up with this. My pregnancy journal is still in it's original packaging, I need to get a move on! I am taking a baby sign language class tonight through one of our local hospitals, but I don't know if we will do it. I am using it for my final senior paper.

Upcoming events: I have a doctor's appointment Tuesday, October 30, just for an exam, nothing exciting. It will be the first appt Jeff will miss.

We scheduled our "big" ultrasound for November 16. We get to see what the baby looks like and what the sex is....so very exciting. But we haven't decided if we will tell everyone then, or wait until Christmas and announce it.

And yes, I promise to post a picture of my belly very soon, maybe I will take another one since the last one was two weeks ago, so much is changing.....

September 28th Appointment.....

We met with our doctor today, and we got to listen to the heartbeat. We could not believe how fast it was compared to my heartbeat. The doctor said everything looks good and healthy. I have another appointment at the end of the month and we should find out the sex of the baby then or at another appointment soon after. I am 15 weeks now and they usually tell the sex between 16-20. So hopefully it will be very soon.