Mackenzie decided to be a snake charmer for Halloween -- here's her outfit, complete with the turban I designed and sewed (by hand??) yesterday!
Friday, October 30, 2009
How "charming"......
Mackenzie decided to be a snake charmer for Halloween -- here's her outfit, complete with the turban I designed and sewed (by hand??) yesterday!
What's wrong with this picture?
My daughter tried to print out her homework for a college class yesterday, and it printed BACKWARDS!!! Three times!! I've never seen a computer do THAT before. Maybe it was the computer's thoughts on how stupid the assignment was......?
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Friday, October 16, 2009
ANOTHER birth this week????
I was called to another birth last night, and unfortunately, this one didn't end up going as smoothly as the others from this week. The mom got to 9 cms. rapidly, then just couldn't seem to get to 10. After the midwife helped her eliminate ("reduce") the last bit of cervix, she started pushing -- and she was a pushing CHAMP!! But this baby would NOT descend, and after she started passing a lot of meconium and the baby's heart tones started dropping rather low -- AND the baby was still not descending -- the decision was made to transfer to the hospital. So -- outcome is a healthy baby girl, 8 lbs., 4 oz., delivered by c-section this AM, presenting in a posterior position with the cord around her neck twice! I'm very grateful that God made is quite obvious that this baby NEEDED to be born via c-section; there's no second-guessing on this birth. The right decision was made at the right time, and everyone is healthy and happy. (Well, maybe not the midwife and I, who are exhausted and punchy!!!)
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Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Babies, babies, and more babies!!
My partner Lori left for vacation this week. I was more than a bit concerned, because we had FIVE clients due in a 9-day span -- due dates were the 11th, 12th, 15th, 19th and 20th, I believe. However, all but one were first time moms, and they usually tend to go overdue, so Lori thought that it wouldn't be TOO bad while she was gone..... HAH!!
She left Friday afternoon. By Saturday mid-morning, I'd received calls that TWO of our clients might be in labor -- uh-oh, not a good thing. By nighttime, they were both contracting about every 3-4 minutes, and it looked like I needed to make a decision. I could be at one birth or the other, but not both. I called my friend and former partner, Audrey, to see if she'd like to attend one of the births. No good -- the hospital she's working out was SWAMPED with people in labor, and they'd asked her to come in and help on her day off!! (Babies popping out there too!!) I called another birth assistant, but she didn't return my calls. Finally, one of the midwives started helping me make calls, and we managed to find someone who could go to the other birth at the birth center.
Around 11:45, the midwife called me back, and said that she hoped she hadn't made a bad call, as the 2nd client had phoned and said it seemed like her labor was slowing down. At that point, I really didn't care. I figured I'd go to sleep and they'd call me when they needed me. So I was absolutely shocked to be awakened by a call at 12:25: "Hey, Pam, this is J....... the baby is OUT and we can't reach the midwife.... what do we do?" Holy cow -- is this a JOKE?? Not funny!!!
But it was true! The client had tried to lay down for a while, but couldn't get comfortable; got up and walked around a bit, then decided she needed to use the bathroom -- and 10 minutes later gave birth to a cute little baby girl!!! Unbelievable birth for a first-time mom!!
The midwife and I arrived within the 1/2 hour, checked on everyone, cleaned things up, made sure all was well, and helped with breastfeeding before leaving around 4:30 AM.
While there, the midwife told me that my first client had gone to the birth center, been checked and was only 2 cms., so they sent her back home. I called the client's husband on my way home to check in and told him I'd be available for them now. So I was surprised (and not very pleased) to hear later that the clients returned to the center around 6:30 AM, and the midwife had the back-up attend instead of calling me in. I hope the client was OK with working with a birth assistant she'd never met before......
It turned out to be an extremely long, drawn-out birth, and it was probably a good thing I didn't go. The baby was not born until 5 AM Monday, meaning she'd been in labor over 30 hours. The baby's head was positioned very crookedly (called "asynclitic") and it took a lot of position changes and a lot of labor to get her head to move. However, ultimately, it did, and the client gave birth at the center to an 8 lb., 9 oz. baby girl!! Good for her!! I hear she's quite proud of herself, as she should be -- what a good job!
So on Tuesday at 3 AM, my phone rang again -- this time from the clients having baby #2. They wanted to give me a heads-up that she might be in labor. Good -- I'm going right back to sleep until you call again, thank you!! Around 5 AM,, they called again, said labor had continued, and the midwife wanted to get there before the AM rush hour traffic. So a quick shower, change my clothes, grab my bags, and I'm on my way!! I arrived around 6:30 AM, and we had a cute little baby boy at 10:30 AM! Nice, easy, straight-forward birth with clients who were very self-sufficient!! What a nice way to begin a day!!
So the total is 3 babies in 58 hours -- not bad!! Now, if at least one or both of the remaining October clients will wait until Lori returns.....
~~~
She left Friday afternoon. By Saturday mid-morning, I'd received calls that TWO of our clients might be in labor -- uh-oh, not a good thing. By nighttime, they were both contracting about every 3-4 minutes, and it looked like I needed to make a decision. I could be at one birth or the other, but not both. I called my friend and former partner, Audrey, to see if she'd like to attend one of the births. No good -- the hospital she's working out was SWAMPED with people in labor, and they'd asked her to come in and help on her day off!! (Babies popping out there too!!) I called another birth assistant, but she didn't return my calls. Finally, one of the midwives started helping me make calls, and we managed to find someone who could go to the other birth at the birth center.
Around 11:45, the midwife called me back, and said that she hoped she hadn't made a bad call, as the 2nd client had phoned and said it seemed like her labor was slowing down. At that point, I really didn't care. I figured I'd go to sleep and they'd call me when they needed me. So I was absolutely shocked to be awakened by a call at 12:25: "Hey, Pam, this is J....... the baby is OUT and we can't reach the midwife.... what do we do?" Holy cow -- is this a JOKE?? Not funny!!!
But it was true! The client had tried to lay down for a while, but couldn't get comfortable; got up and walked around a bit, then decided she needed to use the bathroom -- and 10 minutes later gave birth to a cute little baby girl!!! Unbelievable birth for a first-time mom!!
The midwife and I arrived within the 1/2 hour, checked on everyone, cleaned things up, made sure all was well, and helped with breastfeeding before leaving around 4:30 AM.
While there, the midwife told me that my first client had gone to the birth center, been checked and was only 2 cms., so they sent her back home. I called the client's husband on my way home to check in and told him I'd be available for them now. So I was surprised (and not very pleased) to hear later that the clients returned to the center around 6:30 AM, and the midwife had the back-up attend instead of calling me in. I hope the client was OK with working with a birth assistant she'd never met before......
It turned out to be an extremely long, drawn-out birth, and it was probably a good thing I didn't go. The baby was not born until 5 AM Monday, meaning she'd been in labor over 30 hours. The baby's head was positioned very crookedly (called "asynclitic") and it took a lot of position changes and a lot of labor to get her head to move. However, ultimately, it did, and the client gave birth at the center to an 8 lb., 9 oz. baby girl!! Good for her!! I hear she's quite proud of herself, as she should be -- what a good job!
So on Tuesday at 3 AM, my phone rang again -- this time from the clients having baby #2. They wanted to give me a heads-up that she might be in labor. Good -- I'm going right back to sleep until you call again, thank you!! Around 5 AM,, they called again, said labor had continued, and the midwife wanted to get there before the AM rush hour traffic. So a quick shower, change my clothes, grab my bags, and I'm on my way!! I arrived around 6:30 AM, and we had a cute little baby boy at 10:30 AM! Nice, easy, straight-forward birth with clients who were very self-sufficient!! What a nice way to begin a day!!
So the total is 3 babies in 58 hours -- not bad!! Now, if at least one or both of the remaining October clients will wait until Lori returns.....
~~~
Monday, October 12, 2009
Happy Howl-o-ween??
My husband recently got a new camera which has proven very difficult to use. It tends to take very odd-colored pictures -- but he managed to get these weird shots of evil spirits peering out my living room window...... See if you can figure out what they are.......!!!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Random stuff......
It's been a while since I posted, so I just thought I'd share some recent happenings, thoughts, etc.......
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Monday night -- Cool weather, leaves falling, Panera bread soup bowls -- life is good!!
~~~
Definitely feeling more and more like fall -- even made a yummy batch of snickerdoodles, which did not last long around here!!
~~~
Nelson's had two trips to Georgia in the last two weeks, which leaves me running kids around here, there and everywhere! I'm gaining a new appreciation for single mothers!
~~~
We've been working extremely hard on obedience with Taylor. The other day, I had put her in the crate for an hour so I could get some uninterrupted work done. After an hour or so, I called Mackenzie and asked her to let the dog out. She did and then went back to whatever she was playing. About 40 minutes later, I heard Taylor whining and went out to see what was wrong. There she was, sitting in the crate with the door open -- nobody had given her the "release" command, so she was staying put!!! Poor puppy -- that was a really long "STAY"!!!
~~~
I've started gathering some early info on wedings, since it looks like Morgan will be getting marrried next year. I've also taken her out to see a few churches in the area. She's got this idea of a BIG Gothic-church style wedding in her head (think "Sound of Music" here!!) I think she and her dad and I need to sit down REAL soon and put together a budget for this -- I'm starting to see scary $$$$ signs floating in my head!
~~~
No births since September 24th -- what a nice break for my partner and I!! However, we have clients due on the 12th, the 13th, the 15th, the 19th and the 20th -- AND my partner is going to be out of town most of next week. I think it's going to be an absolutely crazy week -- sounds scary to me.....
~~~
YIKES!! I had forgotten that we'd filed an extension on our taxes back in April (check out my post from April 17th about that!!) and never finished up -- and our six months' extension is up next week..... sigh...... need to get busy with that on top of everything else. Ugh.
~~~
And life continues......
~~
Monday night -- Cool weather, leaves falling, Panera bread soup bowls -- life is good!!
~~~
Definitely feeling more and more like fall -- even made a yummy batch of snickerdoodles, which did not last long around here!!
~~~
Nelson's had two trips to Georgia in the last two weeks, which leaves me running kids around here, there and everywhere! I'm gaining a new appreciation for single mothers!
~~~
We've been working extremely hard on obedience with Taylor. The other day, I had put her in the crate for an hour so I could get some uninterrupted work done. After an hour or so, I called Mackenzie and asked her to let the dog out. She did and then went back to whatever she was playing. About 40 minutes later, I heard Taylor whining and went out to see what was wrong. There she was, sitting in the crate with the door open -- nobody had given her the "release" command, so she was staying put!!! Poor puppy -- that was a really long "STAY"!!!
~~~
I've started gathering some early info on wedings, since it looks like Morgan will be getting marrried next year. I've also taken her out to see a few churches in the area. She's got this idea of a BIG Gothic-church style wedding in her head (think "Sound of Music" here!!) I think she and her dad and I need to sit down REAL soon and put together a budget for this -- I'm starting to see scary $$$$ signs floating in my head!
~~~
No births since September 24th -- what a nice break for my partner and I!! However, we have clients due on the 12th, the 13th, the 15th, the 19th and the 20th -- AND my partner is going to be out of town most of next week. I think it's going to be an absolutely crazy week -- sounds scary to me.....
~~~
YIKES!! I had forgotten that we'd filed an extension on our taxes back in April (check out my post from April 17th about that!!) and never finished up -- and our six months' extension is up next week..... sigh...... need to get busy with that on top of everything else. Ugh.
~~~
And life continues......
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