2009: The Year of Little Miss Rosebud

The other night as I was rocking my four month old to sleep, I took the opportunity to reflect on what I had experienced through the course of the year to get me to this place with Little Miss Rosebud. Let me take you on a journey....

December 2008 - My husband and I discovered we were pregnant a few days before Christmas. We were overjoyed at the thought of bringing another child into the world and it truly enhanced our Christmas.

January 2009 - I had my first OB appointment just before I was 8 weeks pregnant and got to see the glorious little heartbeat on ultrasound. It was so emotional for me to see that there was something living inside of me.

February - Princess Rosebud and I spent a few weeks with my parents in South Carolina while my husband traveled for work. It was so nice to have the help with my two year old. I wasn't really having morning sickness; just a general *blech* feeling and being really really tired.

March - Because Princess Rosebud was 8 weeks premature, I had my first visit with a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist. He recommended that I get an injection of progesterone every week to help prevent the onset of preterm labor.

April - My hubby (I need a nickname for him, too!) and I started taking the Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth classes. I learned so much about how to handle the pain of childbirth naturally. And it was nice to have one night a week to spend with my husband preparing for this little life.

May/June - We had lots of visitors during the late spring/early summer including my father-in-law, my sister, and my wonderful friend Kay. It was so nice to have visitors to break up the monotony. Princess and I also signed up for Kindermusik classes to have a fun Mommy and Me activity to do before the new arrival would interfere with our one on one time.

July - The 32 week mark came and went, and I breathed a huge sigh of relief. At this point I was seeing the doctor every two weeks. In the wee hours of the morning on July 28, my water broke at home. Little Miss Rosebud made her appearance at 6:23pm after 6 horrible hours of pitocin induced labor (endured without pain meds, might I add!) She weighed 6lbs, 4oz and was 18 inches long.

Little Miss would then spend the next 7 days in the NICU. She had a slow start breathing on her own, but quickly was moved to the Level 2 nursery where we focused on breastfeeding and gaining weight. I was given a room to stay in that connected to the NICU so that I could be there around the clock. It was a stressful week with many ups and downs, as is the norm when your child is in the NICU. As far as preemies go, my preemies tend to be pretty healthy. Little Miss is 4-1/2 months now and our pediatrician says she is all caught up, even if she is a bit small!

It is amazing to me when I look at her and see how beautiful and perfect she is that this time last year she was in the very beginning stages of formation. One huge lesson I have learned from this year is that God is so good. I have known that my whole life, but sometimes I forget. He walked this whole road with me, and I am sure he carried me that first week of August. My goal for 2010 is to not forget that, and to trust in Him with my whole heart and soul.

Erin