Last week, after watching daily Mass on EWTN (per Damien's request to watch "Church"), I left the TV on in the background while I played with the boys. A movie came on, which I noticed had subtitles, but I wasn't really interested in it since the boys were keeping me busy. Well, at some point, despite the subtitles, I was drawn in to the movie. I soon found out the movie was about a saint I had never even heard of before--St. Giuseppe Moscati (also known as St. Joseph Moscati in English). (I am now a little surprised I hadn't heard of him due to the fact that he is relatively "modern-day"--canonized October 25th, 1987 by JPII--and in the medical profession, which brings particular interest to me).
The movie is called St. Giuseppe Moscati: Doctor to the Poor (link is to the DVD available at Amazon.com). The movie does contain some fiction, just so you are aware. However, I was surprisingly inspired and moved by this movie, and I have found a special love for this saint through the little bit of research I have done on him since seeing the movie. So, I hope others will take the time to see the movie and/or read a little about this saint as well. I don't think you'll be disappointed, and you may even find the desire to better yourself due to your knowledge of the life of St. Giuseppe Moscati.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
Happy Easter!
Our family had a busy and fun Easter weekend. The boys had their first Easter egg hunt at America's Best on Saturday (Mary came too!), and the family enjoyed Mass and time with both sides of the family on Easter Sunday. Below are a few photo highlights.
America's Best Easter Egg Hunt:
Easter Sunday:
America's Best Easter Egg Hunt:
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| Damien, searching for eggs |
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| Blaise found one in the hose! |
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| Blaise and Damien looking for eggs with their friend, Elijah. |
Easter Sunday:
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| Mary, looking pretty in her Easter dress |
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| The boys, trying out their new picnic table at Grandma and Grandpa's |
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| Our family |
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| The boys, checking out what's in their eggs at Aunt Sandy's and Uncle Paul's house |
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| Damien with cousin, Camella |
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| The Hebert girls, Mary and Camella |
Monday, March 26, 2012
Plagiocephaly
Since the promotion of "back to sleep" to prevent SIDS, positional plagiocephaly has been a relatively new condition that many families now have to deal with. "Tummy time" is promoted to help prevent this, but it doesn't always work. Of course, having a flat spot on one's head is much better than the horror of SIDS, but it is still a issue that is plaguing many families, and it isn't discussed very often. Andy and I had never heard of it, but we wish we would have known a little about it before having our first son.
Damien had a condition called torticollis, in which a tightened muscle in his neck caused him to always look in one direction as an infant, resulting in an asymmetrical flat spot from where his head laid. We took Damien to physical therapy for several months as an infant in order to loosen that muscle and strengthen the muscle on the opposite side of his neck. Today, we believe the therapy helped Damien, and his head shape appears to be normal.
Blaise also started to get a flat spot early on, but his was right on the back of his head (no torticollis). Andy and I did the exercises we learned with Damien to strengthen the muscles on the back of his neck and took him to therapy, where we were told we were doing everything right, and there were no new exercises to learn. They gave us an overwhelming amount of material about DOC bands, and told us that Blaise may or may not benefit from one, since his plagiocephaly is so minor. This was a very difficult decision as parents, as of course, we want to do whatever is best for our son. When weighing the options, we learned that the "bands" (probably more appropriately referred to as helmets), must be worn 23 hours a day for several months. The bands are apparently not at all painful or uncomfortable to the child (although they certainly appear hot), but the process of getting the head mold for the band shape and size can be rather traumatic and/or scary to the child (they have to pretty much put a nylon over the baby's head and use some sort of material to get a mold to send to the company). In addition, plagiocephaly isn't considered to affect children medically besides the cosmetic aspect (there is differing research about this), so insurance doesn't at all cover the bands, which cost around $3000 to $4000. Research is also just starting to be done on the long-term affects of DOC bands, since plagiocephaly was so rare until the early 90s. So, with this knowledge, and the fact that the therapists couldn't guarantee that we'd see a difference in Blaise, we decided not to pursue a band.
The thing that brought thinking about this to the forefront is the fact that we gave the boys haircuts last night. They now have "military style" buzz cuts, which of course, gives us an excellent opportunity to see the boys' head shapes. Damien's head looks good, but our little Blaise does have a noticeable flat spot. I guess it makes me wonder if we made the right decision. I feel so bad about it, and somewhat blame myself, but I know Andy and I made the best decision we could at the time, and we'll never know if the DOC band would have made a difference. When Blaise's hair is longer, it is not very visible, but he may not always be able to have longer hair. I'm also not sure if his current head shape is permanent yet at 19 months, but I'm guessing it is.
We recently learned about a product called the Noggin Nest (made by Boppy) while I was browsing through Craigslist. Although the company itself does not promote the product to reduce flat head syndrome, we learned, through reading reviews on Amazon.com, that many people have had success correcting and preventing flat spots by using the product. Several also stated that their physical therapists recommended them. Andy and I knew we had nothing to lose, so we bought one for Mary. She has been using it pretty much since birth, and so far no flat spot. We're not saying that it can't still happen, but we are so far pleased with the result, and wish we would have known about the product for Damien and Blaise. So, there's my little plug! We're really hoping this solves the problem that we have spent so much time worrying about, and I hope this product can help other families as well.
Damien had a condition called torticollis, in which a tightened muscle in his neck caused him to always look in one direction as an infant, resulting in an asymmetrical flat spot from where his head laid. We took Damien to physical therapy for several months as an infant in order to loosen that muscle and strengthen the muscle on the opposite side of his neck. Today, we believe the therapy helped Damien, and his head shape appears to be normal.
Blaise also started to get a flat spot early on, but his was right on the back of his head (no torticollis). Andy and I did the exercises we learned with Damien to strengthen the muscles on the back of his neck and took him to therapy, where we were told we were doing everything right, and there were no new exercises to learn. They gave us an overwhelming amount of material about DOC bands, and told us that Blaise may or may not benefit from one, since his plagiocephaly is so minor. This was a very difficult decision as parents, as of course, we want to do whatever is best for our son. When weighing the options, we learned that the "bands" (probably more appropriately referred to as helmets), must be worn 23 hours a day for several months. The bands are apparently not at all painful or uncomfortable to the child (although they certainly appear hot), but the process of getting the head mold for the band shape and size can be rather traumatic and/or scary to the child (they have to pretty much put a nylon over the baby's head and use some sort of material to get a mold to send to the company). In addition, plagiocephaly isn't considered to affect children medically besides the cosmetic aspect (there is differing research about this), so insurance doesn't at all cover the bands, which cost around $3000 to $4000. Research is also just starting to be done on the long-term affects of DOC bands, since plagiocephaly was so rare until the early 90s. So, with this knowledge, and the fact that the therapists couldn't guarantee that we'd see a difference in Blaise, we decided not to pursue a band.
The thing that brought thinking about this to the forefront is the fact that we gave the boys haircuts last night. They now have "military style" buzz cuts, which of course, gives us an excellent opportunity to see the boys' head shapes. Damien's head looks good, but our little Blaise does have a noticeable flat spot. I guess it makes me wonder if we made the right decision. I feel so bad about it, and somewhat blame myself, but I know Andy and I made the best decision we could at the time, and we'll never know if the DOC band would have made a difference. When Blaise's hair is longer, it is not very visible, but he may not always be able to have longer hair. I'm also not sure if his current head shape is permanent yet at 19 months, but I'm guessing it is.
We recently learned about a product called the Noggin Nest (made by Boppy) while I was browsing through Craigslist. Although the company itself does not promote the product to reduce flat head syndrome, we learned, through reading reviews on Amazon.com, that many people have had success correcting and preventing flat spots by using the product. Several also stated that their physical therapists recommended them. Andy and I knew we had nothing to lose, so we bought one for Mary. She has been using it pretty much since birth, and so far no flat spot. We're not saying that it can't still happen, but we are so far pleased with the result, and wish we would have known about the product for Damien and Blaise. So, there's my little plug! We're really hoping this solves the problem that we have spent so much time worrying about, and I hope this product can help other families as well.
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| Mary, using her Noggin Nest, in February. |
Friday, March 16, 2012
Getting Out!
This last week, we have been extremely fortunate to have temperatures 30-40 degrees above normal for this time of year. Damien, Blaise, Mary, and I have been trying to get outside daily to take advantage of the temperatures, which have been in the upper 70s to low 80s. This has been a new experience for me, because I'm trying to learn how to be outside safely and comfortably with three kids. We have taken a couple walks to the grocery store this week, and it's worked okay to have Blaise and Mary in the stroller and have Damien walk with me (or ahead of me or behind me--you get the picture). It's a little difficult to manage Damien in the store, but he seems to do better if he gets to hold a basket and put some groceries in it. Hopefully I'll learn more little tricks in the future.
On Wednesday (3/14), I braved meeting a friend at the zoo (Mary's first time!). There is no path (aka sidewalk) for Damien to follow, and there's a lot more people, so I had to keep Damien in the stroller. This is how we managed:
Well, the boys are up from their naps (actually Blaise is up from his nap, and Damien, who didn't nap, is ready to be done with his quiet time)! Hopefully I can stay a little more up-to-date on here in the near future!
On Wednesday (3/14), I braved meeting a friend at the zoo (Mary's first time!). There is no path (aka sidewalk) for Damien to follow, and there's a lot more people, so I had to keep Damien in the stroller. This is how we managed:
In other news, today I was able to capture the first photos of Mary smiling! Here they are...
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Valentine's Party
This year, the kids were invited to a Valentine's Day party at my friend, Kaelyn's, house. This time, Mary was the only girl! (Most of our friends have all girls, so this was a welcomed change for the boys!)
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| The boys playing (with Kelly's supervision!) ;) |
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| Mary celebrated, too! :) |
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| The boys (Blaise, Quinlan, Dylan, Ethan, Asher, and Damien) |
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| Eating pizza (although everyone seems to be drinking in this photo) |
Monday, February 27, 2012
Introducing Mary Clare! (Birth Story)
Well, we are happy and proud to say that our little girl is finally here! Her arrival was much different than I had anticipated, but Mary came naturally, when she was meant to arrive, so I can't complain! (Although, I'm sure I did plenty of complaining in the weeks before her arrival because the last few weeks were so uncomfortable!). So here is the birth story of our 3rd child and 1st daughter, Mary Clare.
To my surprise, I made it to my 39 week OB appointment on January 19th. I was convinced throughout my pregnancy that this baby was going to be at least two weeks early, as Damien was 10 days early, and Blaise was 12 days early. So, at my appointment on Thursday, January 19th, I had my doctor check my progress to see if this baby showed any signs of coming any time soon. It turned out that I was 4-5 cm dilated, about 90% effaced, and the baby was extremely low, at +2 station. Our doctor expected our baby to arrive within 24 hours, and he instructed me to go to the hospital if I had any sign of consistent contractions, given my history. Of course, a snow storm was predicted the next day, so we were a little worried that the baby could come too fast for me to make it to the hospital! (I was in labor with Blaise only 3 hours, and he arrived after less than an hour at the hospital). Therefore, my mom offered to stay with us until the baby arrived, so there would be no extra time needed for her to drive over to watch the boys when I went in labor. It turns out, there didn't need to be any rush, though.
I made it to my due date on January 21st with no consistent contractions. I was getting pretty frustrated because I was sooo ready for this baby to arrive! Finally, around 5:45 on Sunday morning (the 22nd), I started to get contractions about 3-5 minutes apart. We subsequently got my bag, said good-bye to my mom, and left the house pretty quickly, just in case this baby wanted to make a fast arrival. We arrived at the hospital at 6:30, where they checked me in and the resident checked my progress. At this point I was 5cm dilated and 0 station, which means the baby's head was higher up than it had been in the clinic. Due to my dilation and constant contractions, they did admit me, but cautioned that if things didn't progress, I could be sent home (which was a huge fear of mine!). My doctor arrived not long after my admission, and stayed on the labor and delivery unit for the duration of my labor (very rare nowadays).
I lucked out that my nurse, Angel, was awesome in accepting and supporting my desire for a natural birth. I refused to be hooked up to the monitors (I only had the contraction monitor in triage and allowed my nurse to check the baby's heart rate and my vital signs once an hour) and requested not to be asked about pain. This is also what I did in my previous births, and it works well for me. I know that childbirth involves pain, but I don't need to be reminded of it every hour. I don't like having any medical interventions during labor, as I know from my labor and delivery semester in school and reading that one intervention usually starts a "cascade of interventions" with unwanted outcomes. Andy and I spent pretty much my entire labor walking the halls in order to get things progressing, as I know lying on my back is the absolute worst position to be in while laboring/birthing a baby. I am good proof of this fact, as my contractions would slow down or even stop if I laid down on the bed.
At 10:00 the resident came to check me again. I had progressed to 6cm! Unfortunately, this is not good enough according to medical books (you are "supposed" to dilate 1cm an hour), so I was encouraged to have my water broken. I decided that even though I wasn't progressing as quickly as the doctor wanted, I was progressing, so I refused an artificial rupture of membranes, and told him I would like to keep walking and see what happens.
The resident returned at 12:15 for another check. At this point I was 8cm and 100% effaced! The resident was satisfied at this point and stated that my progression was "textbook". So, I kept walking.
1:00--another check. 9 cm! At this point my doctor discussed breaking my water, as it would surely speed things up. I decided to keep going. At this point, my doctor and nurse hung out with Andy and me in our room, and we were able to have a nice conversation (standing up, of course!). My doctor told me to tell him to be quiet at any time I needed to concentrate during a contraction, but I told him, "you do your thing, and I'll do mine". So every time a contraction came (maybe every 2 minutes? I tried not to focus on contractions...), I just walked over to the window sill and leaned over to bear through the contraction. After the contraction, I'd walk back and join the conversation.
Well, somewhere in the 2:00 hour, I started to get the urge to push. Sure enough, when they checked me I was 10cm, however, I still had 3 lips of cervix left (left, right, and anterior). At this point, I was lying in the bed, as my body was beginning to push, and my legs were tired. My nurse had me lie on my left side through a couple on contractions, which removed the left lip. I then laid on my right side through pushing and contractions to remove the right lip. I went up on my hands and knees and leaned on a birthing ball to try and remove the anterior lip through several contractions. Unfortunately, no matter what I tried, that anterior lip would not budge. At this time, labor was very intense, as I was pushing and things were burning quite a bit. The resident and doctor again offered to break my water, as that would release the prostaglandins necessary to get that little piece of cervix out of the way. Ultimately, I agreed since I figured there were not many more interventions possible (I was already 10cm), and my water was broken at 3:05.
Having my water broken did the trick! At 3:20pm, Andy announced "It's a girl!", and Mary was laid in my arms for the first time.
Mary Clare was 8lbs, 8oz and 19 inches long, making her the smallest of my children, even though she was born about two weeks after my boys!
I made it to my due date on January 21st with no consistent contractions. I was getting pretty frustrated because I was sooo ready for this baby to arrive! Finally, around 5:45 on Sunday morning (the 22nd), I started to get contractions about 3-5 minutes apart. We subsequently got my bag, said good-bye to my mom, and left the house pretty quickly, just in case this baby wanted to make a fast arrival. We arrived at the hospital at 6:30, where they checked me in and the resident checked my progress. At this point I was 5cm dilated and 0 station, which means the baby's head was higher up than it had been in the clinic. Due to my dilation and constant contractions, they did admit me, but cautioned that if things didn't progress, I could be sent home (which was a huge fear of mine!). My doctor arrived not long after my admission, and stayed on the labor and delivery unit for the duration of my labor (very rare nowadays).
I lucked out that my nurse, Angel, was awesome in accepting and supporting my desire for a natural birth. I refused to be hooked up to the monitors (I only had the contraction monitor in triage and allowed my nurse to check the baby's heart rate and my vital signs once an hour) and requested not to be asked about pain. This is also what I did in my previous births, and it works well for me. I know that childbirth involves pain, but I don't need to be reminded of it every hour. I don't like having any medical interventions during labor, as I know from my labor and delivery semester in school and reading that one intervention usually starts a "cascade of interventions" with unwanted outcomes. Andy and I spent pretty much my entire labor walking the halls in order to get things progressing, as I know lying on my back is the absolute worst position to be in while laboring/birthing a baby. I am good proof of this fact, as my contractions would slow down or even stop if I laid down on the bed.
At 10:00 the resident came to check me again. I had progressed to 6cm! Unfortunately, this is not good enough according to medical books (you are "supposed" to dilate 1cm an hour), so I was encouraged to have my water broken. I decided that even though I wasn't progressing as quickly as the doctor wanted, I was progressing, so I refused an artificial rupture of membranes, and told him I would like to keep walking and see what happens.
The resident returned at 12:15 for another check. At this point I was 8cm and 100% effaced! The resident was satisfied at this point and stated that my progression was "textbook". So, I kept walking.
1:00--another check. 9 cm! At this point my doctor discussed breaking my water, as it would surely speed things up. I decided to keep going. At this point, my doctor and nurse hung out with Andy and me in our room, and we were able to have a nice conversation (standing up, of course!). My doctor told me to tell him to be quiet at any time I needed to concentrate during a contraction, but I told him, "you do your thing, and I'll do mine". So every time a contraction came (maybe every 2 minutes? I tried not to focus on contractions...), I just walked over to the window sill and leaned over to bear through the contraction. After the contraction, I'd walk back and join the conversation.
Well, somewhere in the 2:00 hour, I started to get the urge to push. Sure enough, when they checked me I was 10cm, however, I still had 3 lips of cervix left (left, right, and anterior). At this point, I was lying in the bed, as my body was beginning to push, and my legs were tired. My nurse had me lie on my left side through a couple on contractions, which removed the left lip. I then laid on my right side through pushing and contractions to remove the right lip. I went up on my hands and knees and leaned on a birthing ball to try and remove the anterior lip through several contractions. Unfortunately, no matter what I tried, that anterior lip would not budge. At this time, labor was very intense, as I was pushing and things were burning quite a bit. The resident and doctor again offered to break my water, as that would release the prostaglandins necessary to get that little piece of cervix out of the way. Ultimately, I agreed since I figured there were not many more interventions possible (I was already 10cm), and my water was broken at 3:05.
Having my water broken did the trick! At 3:20pm, Andy announced "It's a girl!", and Mary was laid in my arms for the first time.
Mary Clare was 8lbs, 8oz and 19 inches long, making her the smallest of my children, even though she was born about two weeks after my boys!
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| Mary, getting her footprints! |
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| My first photo with my daughter. |
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| Mary is wearing the same going-home outfit I wore 28 years ago. |
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| Finally home with the family! Damien, Blaise, Daddy, and Mary. |
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Waiting!
As many of you already know, our family is awaiting the arrival of Baby #3 any day now! Today I am 38 weeks pregnant, making 14 days until our due date of January 21st. Damien was born 10 days early and Blaise was 12 days early, so I've been waiting for this baby to arrive 14 days early! ;) No signs of labor yet, so we'll have to wait to see what this baby is planning to do. If this baby makes it to 39 weeks, I won't know what to do with myself as far as more waiting and anticipating the size of the baby...Damien and Blaise were nearly 9lb (8lb 11oz and 8lb 15oz, respectively). We will be posting our birth story not long after our baby's arrival, so check back soon!
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