Just a Picture

The newborn shorts are way too big for her skinny little legs, but they are oh so cute!

Random pictures from Quinn's first days

I love my girl so much! She is so perfect. She seems to be on an every other day schedule for sleeping well at night, which means the other days she sleeps horribly. She will sleep in her Pack and Play throughout the day with no problem, go 3 hours between feeding and be fine, but once the sun goes down, all bets are off. Usually she wants to eat every hour and wants to be held the rest of the time at night. But that's ok. I love her anyway.

Someone didn't like the car seat!

But she was fine once it started moving. (This was at midnight!)

(My favorite picture so far)

Some Firsts:

First bath (sponge bath) 

She didn't really care for this, but she sure was cuddly in her duck blanket afterwards.

First Cloth Diaper 

(she didn't care either way)

Quinn's Birth Story

Not for the weak of heart. Just kidding, but if you don't like hearing about gross stuff, maybe you shouldn't read it.

Due Date Saturday, August 20.

Wednesday, August 17th

I went to the doctor. Was 0cm and 50% thinned but hadn’t dropped. They set up an induction for Tuesday, August 23rd.  I wanted a later date, but Thursday was already full so they set it for Tuesday. I was given a sheet , no instructions or anything. I got to the car and read that they would be doing a Foley Catheter to get me dilated to 4 cm then start Pitocin. I didn’t know what this was, but I knew it wasn’t what I wanted. I spent all day Thursday calling the office to try to change the date so I could give her a chance to come on her own, or at least be more ready. Finally Friday I got ahold of someone and told them my concerns. They didn’t cancel the induction, just set up an appointment to talk to the doctor on Monday. 

I spent the weekend getting everything ready, eating spicy food, and walking a lot. Around 4:30 am Monday I woke up feeling bad. I went to sleep in the recliner. I started cramping really bad. I soon realized it might be contractions. Each cramp was about 2 minutes apart and lasting for 40 seconds. If I didn’t have a doctors appointment set up for that morning, I would have probably called l&d. 

My MIL went to the doctor with me to support me because she used to work there. I told her going in that I had been having cramps and I would be willing to stick with the induction if I was making good progress and they could reassure me. We went back and they checked me. I was down another pound, so my total weight gain was 8 pounds! He checked me, and I was 90% thinned out, a “good” 2cm, and her head was down there. He said I wouldn’t have to do the Foley Catheter and he would see me in the morning, if I made it that long. He later told me he was surprised I made it to the induction. I was really hoping the contractions would get stronger. Instead, they stopped all together at 2pm.

Tuesday, August 23

7:29 we strolled into the hospital. They got me in a room and in my gown and hooked up to the machines. Then we waited for the doctor, watching my weak contractions. The doctor came and checked. Still the same as the day before, so he broke my water and started the Pitocin at 8:30. Pretty quickly the crampy contractions came back. Increased pit at 9am. Within 2 hours, I was grimacing and writhing in pain, so I told the nurse. She got me some meds through the IV and went ahead and called for the epi. It was in super easy and fast, and it started working fast too. I could feel things, but no pain. The nurse kept saying how strong and good the contractions were. 

12:00 3cm, increased pit for first time since 9.

1:15 3.5cm

3:15 4cm

4:00 doctor checked me and said 5-6cm. Nurse told me he always seemed to measure bigger.

6:00 6cm

Around 8 I started getting a fever. At 9 I asked for some Tums because I was burping up stomach acid. She went to see about getting me Tylenol because of the fever. Came back with Tums but said Dr wanted to wait on treating the fever. I took the Tums. About 2 minutes later, I threw up the Tums. Dr came in and checked me. He said I was 8cm but her head wasn’t far enough down. He got me Tylenol and an antibiotic in case there was an infection. He said he would come back at 11 and see about a c-section. I know there is nothing wrong with a c-section, but I wanted to prove to myself that I could push and I really didn't want the recovery. The nurse kept telling me how well I was progressing. She said the pitocin was up at 18 and they don’t like to go past 20, but they would probably put it at 20 then cut it off if it didn’t work cause sometimes that actually helps. At 10:30 she came in and upped it to 20. At this point, I was terrified I was going to get a c-section. I was visualizing her dropping down there and I was kind of putting pressure, not quite pushing, to try to persuade her. Dr. and nurse came in at 11. Dr took one look at my catheter, held it up to show me the blood in it, and said 99% of the time that means she is pushing on the bladder instead of the cervix, which means c-section. Praise the Lord he checked me. The nurse was getting the equipment and scrubs and stuff for the c-section. Dr said I was 10cm, 100% thinned, and +1 or 2 so I could start pushing. I wiped the tears out of my eyes and started smiling. I would have never thought I would have been that 1% and consider that about the only thing that went my way up to that point.

All day I had been pushing the button for extra epi whenever I started feeling pain in my butt from sitting in the bed and a stabbing kind of pain near my bladder. It would take that edge back off for a couple hours. Well, I was feeling those mild pains right around the time he said it was time to push. I didn’t want to get too much epi and not be able to push. I was already kind of mad at myself for getting the epi so early. I thought for sure I wasn't progressing as quickly as I should have been because I couldn't get up and walk around. I didn’t increase the epi any more, just in case. I started pushing around 11:10. It was very relaxed, with me, Daniel and the nurse being the only ones in the room. My contractions never really got that close together. I would have two or three semi close together then have a 3-4 minute break before the next set. We just sat there and talked between each one. I had no idea how to push. Every once in awhile the nurse would tell me to relax my face because I was pushing up there instead of down. There was another woman who was pushing at the same time (the only other woman who was in labor all day). Apparently she had the same doctor as me, so my nurse said it was a race. After a few pushes, she told me we were going to win. My biggest concern was that if she was born before midnight, I would have to be out of the hospital by midnight Thursday. If she came after midnight, they would do her 48 hour test and then we could sleep there, get up, take our time and leave any time Friday. I was joking that she would probably be born at 11:50. So about 11:40 the nurse tells me to stop pushing so she could get the doctor in. She called about 5 different rooms and the nurse’s station and another number or two until she finally found him. This whole time, I’m having contractions and want to push so bad. And it HURT. I didn't care about the time anymore, I just wanted her out. Finally, she tells me I can push if I have to and she will tell me to stop when needed. I did push through another contraction, but tried to not give it the effort I had been giving them. The doctor finally gets there, gets ready, and I push through one more contraction with her coming out on the last push. It hurt so bad, and that was even with an epi. You ladies who do this without one, wow!

Almost exactly like predicted, she was born at 11:51 pm after 40 minutes of pushing. We made sure she really was a girl (I was so scared that we had all this girl stuff and she would end up being a he.) Earlier in the day they said some of my water was yellowish so they thought she pooped. Thankfully she came out crying, so they just suctioned her a little and gave her to me. The placenta came out pretty quickly, and that was the biggest relief ever! Then they removed the epi and he was sewing me up and by the time he finished, I was feeling it all. I felt like he sewed forever, so I asked him if it was really bad. He said no, he just likes to be precise. I wasn’t sure if he was just saying that so I wouldn’t know how bad I was torn, but my hubby told me later it didn’t look that bad. So I got some time with her and fed her (with a lot of help from the nurse) and then they took her to do all her stats and stuff. 

As a side note, the poor woman pushing the same time as me had it bad. She started pushing around 9pm and had her baby around 1:15 am. She had to be cut front to back.  

We really had NO idea what to name her when we went into the hospital. We spent Tuesday coming up with 3 names we really liked with middle names picked out and 2 other first names we thought would work too maybe. He eventually told me I could pick from that list. When I saw her, I was thinking Piper or Quinn, even though Quinn wasn’t a name we really considered the whole pregnancy, it was more of an afterthought. All the nurses said she looked like a Piper. The more I thought about it, the more I thought Quinn was just perfect. I made him help me pick out the middle name. I wanted Grace, but thought Elise sounded great with it. Daniel didn’t think Quinn Grace sounded right, so I happily accepted Elise. This decision was made at about 11:30 am Wednesday.

Quinn Elise Baute, born 11:51 pm Tuesday, August 23. 7lbs 15 oz, 21 inches of pure perfection.

Welcome Baby Baute

Quinn Elise Baute

August 23, 2011 11:51 pm

7lbs. 15 oz, 21 inches long

Due Date

Yesterday was my due date.

And today I'm still pregnant. I go in tomorrow to talk to the doctor because they scheduled me for an induction Tuesday, and I really don't want to! I don't think 3 days after due date is early enough to force her out. I'm not dilated. I don't want to sit in a hospital bed for hours on end waiting to dilate enough for them to actually start the pitocin and then be in labor. I want to give it time to be more spontaneous. Plus, I'm terrified it will end in a c-section! Wish me luck. I've been a nervous wreck ever since the dr. appointment on Wednesday when they set up the induction. BOO!

Who has 7 meals in the freezer ready to be popped in the oven or simmered for a few minutes???? This girl!!! I just spent 3 hours in the kitchen. I have two bags (well more than 2 servings per bag) of goulash, 1 bag of black bean corn wrap insides, 1 bag of some really yummy beef mix thing to go over rice, a 9x13 lasagna, a spinach cheese breakfast casserole, and some baked ziti. I figure with those and any pizzas, frozen dinners, cereal nights, spaghetti nights, hamburger (Daniel makes that), we've got dinners for at least 2 weeks after baby comes!

We have almost everything we need. We definitely have enough that, if she came today, we'd be fine. I just want to get some bins to organize her stuff in her room, maybe a couple shelves to put cute stuff on, and a bookshelf for her room. Now I just need to pack my hospital bag, and we'd be good to go!

That being said, I am due in 13 days. I don't feel like she is going to come early at all. The doctor did say she has turned head down, so that's awesome, but she hasn't dropped and I'm not dilated or anything like that. I'm quite alright with that. She's still moving up a storm. It's fun to watch my stomach do a little wave as she's adjusting herself, and I laugh when my stomach gets all funny shaped.

Sorry no pics this time. I have a pic of me last week that I took myself in the bathroom mirror, but it isn't too clear. I've wanted to get good pics the last 3 weeks, but Daniel's been making sure he catches up on his sleep before baby arrives apparently. And I have a couple pics of the crib, but they are on the other computer and I'm not rewriting all this!! Maybe I'll get some good pics up here soon. And before you know it, there will be baby pics!!!!