Joe 3 Months Old

3 month has gone by very fast.
I am back to work. The transition was made easier since my mom is able to care for him while we are at work. Jeff is able to work from home one day a week and every six weeks or so he is able to be home for the week. I will admit I am a little jealous of that but when Joe is older he will be coming to KinderCare with me.

Joe is about 12 pounds and 22 inches long now. He is sleeping through the night and is taking two naps during the day.
Joe really enjoys looking at himself in the mirror and standing up when someone is holding him. He also enjoys making his daddy walk around with him when he is very fussy.

When are gearing up for the holidays. Thanksgiving went very well. My family and Jeff's mom came to our house for dinner. It was nice not to have to do all that driving that we have done in the past.

We are planning to have family over for Christmas too! With Joe so small we felt that it would be better to keep him home this year.

Joe will be baptised on 12-7. Not such a great idea to through a baptism before that holidays but what the heck!

Joe goes into the doctor on 12/17 (Jeff's birthday) for his 4 month check up so I'll do my best to update you when I can.

Take Care!

Baby Joe @ 7 Weeks

Wow! the time has flown right by! We can't believe that next week is the last week of my maternity leave. It seems like yesterday that I was put on bed rest. I have enjoyed my time home with Joe and Moose but I really miss work. ( I know sick.)
I wish that I could take maternity leave when Joe is 2 or 3 years old. That way we could go do all sorts of cool things.

We have been getting ready for Halloween. We are not having our party this year because I am not ready for Joe to do an over night yet. But as always we still will go over board with decorations. Jeff's pumpkin sculpture will be of the "Headless Horseman". Some of the neighbor kids have stopped to ask if we will be putting up our decorations this year. They are so funny.
Every year it is Jeff's goal to make it on the news or in the paper because in Jeff fashion he always goes over the top. So make sure that you stop over!!!

Jeff is still having trouble adjusting to waking up every three hours but he wants to get up. It has been getting better last night Joe slept from 11:30-4:30. He then went back to sleep @ 5:00 and woke up again @ 9:00. The broke up sleep doesn't bother me since I had been living with that 2 months before he was born.

Moose loves the baby. Moose loves Jeff. Moose has major problems with me. When we were in the hospital Moose stayed with the Teeters (very good friends of ours) He got lots of attention from all and even their dog. When he returned home he was very happy but something was wrong.....Mommy wasn't paying enough attention to Moose Man. So Moose decided that it was a good idea to pull back the covers to Mommy's side of the bed, pull out her PJ's and snuggle up with them to show Mommy that he too needs love. So that is just what Mommy did. We take care of Moose first and then Joe. All has worked out. However, when attention is not given the way that Moose would like he has peed on Mommy's side of the bed, gotten a hold of used diapers and ripped them up, pooped and peed in the office and other places. But his favorite game is trying to sneak off with Joe's toys. I know that this is my own fault for treating all of our dogs like children but have you seen this dog he is just too cute! I guess that is what has saved his life a time or two. ;0)

BABY JOE
Joe is doing great. Not only being one of the cutest babies ever he is also a very sweet baby. Now I know that being sweet may not last forever but we are sure loving it.
Joe has been fight a little cold this week and he did have some projectile vomiting one morning but when I got him to the doctor. He was fine. ( Showing everyone that I am a crazy 1st time mom)
They had my go to Children's Hospital for an ultra sound on his tummy to see if there was any blockage . There wasn't but there was a whole lot-a-gas. The doctor did call us on Friday to check in and to tell me that everything looks fine. He may have a touch of reflux and the gas may be what is giving him tummy trouble too. Otherwise he looks great.
We go back on 10-22 for our 2month check-up and shots. :0(
Oh, guess what our little man weighs...............................................8lbs 5oz.!!
He has almost doubled his birth weight!

Well that's all for now!
Hope this finds you healthy and happy.

He's Here!

August 13th we had another doctor's appointment to check my BP and my labs for the week.
Dr. G said that I looked great and the plan was to induce on 8-18. After the appointment Jeff dropped me off at home so I could nap and he went off to work.

1:00 PM
Dr. G called and left a message at home( i was sleeping)
to call her ASAP. My labs came back and they were not good. She wanted me in the hospital TODAY! The baby needed to come.

Now once I woke up and listened to the message I had to listen to it again. I had just seen her a few hours ago and in that time I went from having a baby in six days to having a baby in hours. Holy Crap!

After making our Pre-Baby calls and keeping Jeff calm on the way to the hospital we checked into Lakeview at 2:30 PM

Once I was in my room they started getting things going. IV's and the medication needed to start labor. I was also give magnesium to help with my high BP. My water broke around 6 PM. and I started having some good contractions things were really progressing nicely.

Around 8 PM the Dr. came into do the epidural. It was a painful process that had to be adjusted once. When it was over it was working on one side and not the other. ( This really freaked me out!)
Contractions were coming but I wasn't dilating very fast. By 9 PM they had shut off the medication that would help me develop contractions because the baby's heart rate would go down when I would have a contraction. They were thinking that they baby would respond better to my body developing contractions naturally. But his heart rate would still drop.

10:45 PM
Dr. G came into my room to tell me that our plans would be changing again. For the baby to come without more stress he would have to come c-section. Again pre-baby phone calls were made by Jeff and Becky who had been with me through the first part of labor.

Once again I started to freak out a little because I was only numb on one side of my body and now they were telling my that I was going to have a c-section. EEK! The thought of having another epidural made me sick but Dr. G assured me that we were not going to have to do that again and that she would not cut into me if I was not numb from pain.

I was in the OR by 11:15. By 11:30 Jeff was sitting by my side in his hospital scrubs. One of the nurses was even taking a few pictures for us.

11:44 PM Joseph Thomas Schmidt was born!
Healthy but very little. He weighed 4 lbs. 10 oz. and was 18 1/2 inches long. We were very blessed that he was able to breath on his own and that he would only be hooked up to a heart and oxygen monitor for a few days.

My recovery on the other hand was a little more tricky. I would have to be on the magnesium IV for 24 hours because of the high BP. This makes you feel very icky. You can't get out of be and the sleep that you get is not true sleep. You feel really drugged up and high.
Then once you are off that medication it takes another 24 hours before it will leave your body.
So because of all that and the c-section baby Joe was not able to stay in my room.
We also had to stay in the hospital an extra day because my BP was way to high for me to be released.

Our 4 pound baby got a clean bill of health and had gained 1 oz. while staying at the hospital. Joe and I worked on nursing on Saturday and by the time we left the hospital we were pros at it. The doctors were very impressed that Joe did so well with taking a bottle and nursing. Normally babies born as early as he was have problems with sucking and even breathing.

We were able to go home on Monday(8/18)
We were all very excited to be home. Jeff had stayed with us at the hospital the whole time. He really is a wonderful husband and I am so blessed to have him. Moose returned home on Monday as well. He enjoyed spending time at the Teeters.

Home life is good. Joe is eating and sleeping well. Jeff is so proud of his son. He gets up with him to feed and change him and he loves to look at him and tell Joe that he is the cutest baby that he has ever seen. Moose Man is doing awesome. Yes, he still love to be right on top of me but now he has someone new to look over. He isn't barking as much as is very gentle when he walks by the baby. He will even nap by the baby when he gets a chance. I am on the mend even though I take more medications then my grandma ever did. My BP is still high but we are working to bring that down with medication.

I would like to mention how wonderful the doctors and nurses at Lakeview Hospital in Stillwater are. My doctor made phone calls to me personally! She was always very honest and very calming. She was the one who cried with me the day that we miscarried and she was the one who cried with me again when we found out I was pregnant again. Dr. G was to be off the weekend after I delivered but for whatever reason she was at the hospital she check on me and Joe everyday we were there.

Dr S., who asked if he could be Joe's doctor is the one who took care of him during our stay at the hospital. He fussed over Joe as much as Jeff did. He even told me that he ,"loves the little dude".
How do you not get excited over someone who thinks that your baby is great?

The nurses were awesome too! They took time to answer every question and encouraged us in every way.


I would also like to thank our family and friends that helped us in so many ways that I can't even begin to describe. Jeff and I are so lucky to have you all in our lives.

So that is our Preggers Story.

I would like to update this blog monthly so you can see how Joe is growing and changing. I think that the blog is a great to have for those family and friends who are not always able to be with us. It helps us stay in touch and up to date. so remember to check in from time to time and feel free to leave a comment.

Doctor update for 8/11/08 & Week 36

Jeff and I headed off to the doctor again.
Just to let you know how much we go. I don't even have to check in at the desk. The ladies their just wave at me as I walk in.

My BP is down 130/88. Not the best but it did go down.
Joe's heart rate ranged for 140-160. He is running out of room in there but still does his best to move around.

I am doing another collection for the lab on Tuesday. Once again checking for those protein levels.

Wednesday we will head back to see Dr. G. This will be the last check we have hopefully.
Dr. G said because I will be 37 weeks over the weekend that she would like to induce me on 8/18.
Providing that there is room in the hospital that day.
I am going to post information on the induction process because it is just that a process.

So as of next week the O'Schmidt's should have another member!!
Can you believe that?


Information From babycenter.com About Inducing Labor

What does it mean to induce labor?

If your labor doesn't start on its own, your practitioner can use medication and other techniques to bring on (or induce) contractions. She can use some of the same methods to augment, or speed up, your labor if it stops progressing for some reason. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one in five births in the United States is induced.

Why would my labor be induced?

Your practitioner will recommend induction when the risks of waiting for labor to start on its own are higher than the risks of the procedures used to get your labor going. This may be the case when:

You develop preeclampsia, a serious condition that can endanger your health and restrict the flow of blood to your baby.

What are some of the techniques used to induce labor?

This depends in large part on the condition of your cervix at the time. If your cervix hasn't started to soften, efface (thin out), or dilate (open up), it's considered "unripe," or not yet ready for labor.

In that case, your practitioner would use either hormones or "mechanical" methods to ripen your cervix before the induction. Sometimes these procedures end up jump-starting your labor as well.

If your labor doesn't start, you'll get an IV infusion of Pitocin after your cervix ripens. Pitocin is a synthetic form of the hormone oxytocin, which your body naturally produces during spontaneous labor. If your cervix is ripe to begin with, you'll get the Pitocin straightaway.

Some of the methods used to ripen the cervix and induce labor are:
• Using prostaglandins
• Using a Foley catheter
• Stripping or sweeping the membranes
• Rupturing the membranes
• Using Pitocin


Baby Stuff from babycenter.com
Joe is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. He's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected his skin during his nine-month amniotic bath. Joe swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of his first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, Joe will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) He's in a head-down position

Doctor update for 8/7/08

My BP was 140/100 and my labs did came back "poor"
I have been diagnosed with preeclampsia.
The only way to "cure" it is to have the baby.
Dr. W feels that we can make it to 37 weeks ( At this point the baby is considered full term)

So, Thursday we had another ultra sound to check on Joe's growth. The doctor says that he is about 5 pounds. His heart looks good and he is head down. The doctor also checked the cord and their is good blood flow there too.

I go back to the doctor on 8/11 and 8/13 of next week.
I have my bags packed just in case.


The picture posted is a shot of Joe's face from the ultra sound done on 8-7-08
He is 35 weeks.

week 35

We were at the doctor today. Here is the update.

Things really have not changed in my status.
BP was 163/96 when I go into the office
Before I left the office my BP was 143/90. ( My BP went down so I got to go home)
Joe is doing great! His heart rate was 130 - 160 and he was very busy kicking the whole time.

I saw my "back up" Dr. ( Dr. Wiseberg) He is having my collect urine again for 24 hrs. They did a urine dip and there was protein in my urine so we are checking that out again. They are still looking for preeclampsia.

He check my cervix and I am just starting to open but I am not dilated.

Dr. Wiseberg wants to see us again on Thursday @12:30 for an ultra sound. He wants to get some measurements on Joe. He wants to be sure that he is growing at a good rate. He thinks that Joe is around 6 ponds give or take.

I will have another appointment with my "normal" Dr. (Dr.Goudge) on 8/13. I think at this point we are going to have to start talking about inducing me because I will be close to the 37 week mark and my BP has not improved.

Right now Jeff and I are trying our best to take care of a few "loose" ends around the house.
We are not in freaking out yet but it becomes more and more real that the little baby we have waited so long for us will soon be here.


Baby Stuff
From babycenter.com
Joseph doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in the womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.


Picture posted is not Joseph. It is an example of fetal development at 35 weeks.

No More Work

We went to the doctor today. The news not so great for someone who was planning on working a few more weeks. No More Work For Ms. Heather. I am at home relaxing and waiting for Baby Joe!

My BP was 138/92. I have Gestational hypertension. I start going to the doctor weekly now this way they will be able to keep a close eye on what is going on.

Joe has dropped into position and let me tell you I was up last night for 3 hours feeling every inch of that. Dr. G did check and said that she could feel his head but I was not dilated.

Dr. G thinks that Joe will be coming early. She has not changed my due date but because of the issues that I am having looks like he may come early. Our goal is 37 weeks.

Next week we will have a non-stress test done. This is where I get to sit in a chair with my feet up and listen to the baby's heart beat for a half hour. Of course they will want blood they are still trying ruling out Preeclampsia.

That's it for now. Becky just bought me a book that she swears I won't be able to put down so I think I am going to go read.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers