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| From Mama Z Pregnant with Trey |
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Love this time! Even with the trouble...
For those of you who breastfeed, God bless you. It is not as easy as it seems, and even the second time around I have had a few issues, although it was easier to fix this time. Needless to say, we are in the thick of things, I happen to love this photograph. Proud Mama Z, pep talk to myself "Hang in there!"
Friday, March 18, 2011
Birth of Trey!
Life is great! I honestly feel wonderful both mentally and physically, recovery is going better than expected and I am enjoying every second with both of my boys! I thought I would take a moment to tell the story about Trey's birth, because nothing is ever as easy as it seems even when there is a wonderful outcome in the end. =)
The scheduled c-section and surgery went as expected, with no complications. It was my immediate recovery that went a little haywire. Here is the story...
You might recall that when I delivered Zane, my temperature dropped in recovery to 95.4F (normal is 98.7)... a three degree drop in temperature is HUGE and it took 2 hours for my temperature to go back up to normal levels (greater than 97F). At the time the anesthesiologist stated that sometimes a body's cerebellum reacts with the spinal tap, and shuts down temperature control. So knowing my past, this was a major topic during Trey's arrival. The doctors proactively placed a warm blanket on me prior to the surgery and after one hour post-op, I was sweating! Since I had maintained a 98.1F temperature, we took the blanket off and began the process of getting me out of recovery into the maternity ward. 25 minutes later, right when I was about to go down to maternity, Gus mentioned that I looked clammy and felt me. Instantly we took my temperature. It was 94.3F! Seriously! Hypothermia is defined as anything below 95F, so there you have it, I was in hypothermic shock! It took me 4 hours to get back up to 97F. Luckily Trey was healthy, so he got to stay with me during this duration, but needless to say I was in recovery for a long time. My recovery nurse even told me that she will always remember the patient whose temperature dropped so quickly. She has been an RN for 18 years!
When I finally made it into the maternity ward, I tried to eat (the lovely broth and jello that they give you) but I promptly threw up that and anything else they tried to get down me, including water. What followed was a few hours of vomiting, either 7 or 9 times, I lost count in the middle. I had to have 2 bed changes, because even the bucket they gave was not big enough to hold in all in. Luckily with IV fluids, the nurses were able to maintain my electrolytes and fluid levels, but it made my ankles and calves super swollen, which are just now getting back to normal.
There you have it, my story of giving birth (or the after birth) of Trey. Now when you see this picture, you can why I was so tired. =)
Even with this crazy acute recovery, everything else is great. My body is recovering more quickly than with Zane (the second c-section is much easier than the first - nerve fibers are already severed -- much less pain). I began walking later in the evening on March 3, and even began bending down on day 2. I was released from the hospital the afternoon of day 3, typically c-sections stay at the hospital for a duration of 4-5 days. Barring a few breastfeeding mishaps (post to come), I am healing beautifully. Thanks and love to everyone for their best wishes. I am extremely happy to have my boys!
 |
| From Trey's Hospital Portraits |
The scheduled c-section and surgery went as expected, with no complications. It was my immediate recovery that went a little haywire. Here is the story...
You might recall that when I delivered Zane, my temperature dropped in recovery to 95.4F (normal is 98.7)... a three degree drop in temperature is HUGE and it took 2 hours for my temperature to go back up to normal levels (greater than 97F). At the time the anesthesiologist stated that sometimes a body's cerebellum reacts with the spinal tap, and shuts down temperature control. So knowing my past, this was a major topic during Trey's arrival. The doctors proactively placed a warm blanket on me prior to the surgery and after one hour post-op, I was sweating! Since I had maintained a 98.1F temperature, we took the blanket off and began the process of getting me out of recovery into the maternity ward. 25 minutes later, right when I was about to go down to maternity, Gus mentioned that I looked clammy and felt me. Instantly we took my temperature. It was 94.3F! Seriously! Hypothermia is defined as anything below 95F, so there you have it, I was in hypothermic shock! It took me 4 hours to get back up to 97F. Luckily Trey was healthy, so he got to stay with me during this duration, but needless to say I was in recovery for a long time. My recovery nurse even told me that she will always remember the patient whose temperature dropped so quickly. She has been an RN for 18 years!
When I finally made it into the maternity ward, I tried to eat (the lovely broth and jello that they give you) but I promptly threw up that and anything else they tried to get down me, including water. What followed was a few hours of vomiting, either 7 or 9 times, I lost count in the middle. I had to have 2 bed changes, because even the bucket they gave was not big enough to hold in all in. Luckily with IV fluids, the nurses were able to maintain my electrolytes and fluid levels, but it made my ankles and calves super swollen, which are just now getting back to normal.
There you have it, my story of giving birth (or the after birth) of Trey. Now when you see this picture, you can why I was so tired. =)
 |
| From Trey Lloyd Zeiner |
Even with this crazy acute recovery, everything else is great. My body is recovering more quickly than with Zane (the second c-section is much easier than the first - nerve fibers are already severed -- much less pain). I began walking later in the evening on March 3, and even began bending down on day 2. I was released from the hospital the afternoon of day 3, typically c-sections stay at the hospital for a duration of 4-5 days. Barring a few breastfeeding mishaps (post to come), I am healing beautifully. Thanks and love to everyone for their best wishes. I am extremely happy to have my boys!
 |
| From Trey - 1st Month |
Monday, February 28, 2011
End 3rd Trimester Belly!
34 weeks: This is the last of the "small" belly... what is left to come gave me stretch marks days after this picture.
36 weeks: Wore this on a date with Gus for Valentine's Day. Pretty hot maternity dress!
37 weeks, 4 years to the day I gave birth to Zane. Both of my boys will have very close birthdays.
Zane actually requested for Trey's birthday to be after his. Funny! So I did my best not to go into early labor...
38 weeks and 2 day belly, only 3 more days to go before Trey is born.
Stats:
Biggest Craving: SUPER spicy food, but that had to be subsided during the last trimester due to heartburn issues. But seriously... you can not make it spicy enough for me...
Total weight gain: 27 pounds (I do weigh more overall than with Zane, but my belly is smaller... gained a little too much in arm and leg fat... already planning on a work out routine.)
Trey is estimated to weight 6.5-7lbs.
3 more days to go... we can not wait! Stay tuned...
 |
| From Mama Z and Trey Lloyd Zeiner |
36 weeks: Wore this on a date with Gus for Valentine's Day. Pretty hot maternity dress!
 |
| From Mama Z and Trey Lloyd Zeiner |
37 weeks, 4 years to the day I gave birth to Zane. Both of my boys will have very close birthdays.
 |
| From Mama Z and Trey Lloyd Zeiner |
Zane actually requested for Trey's birthday to be after his. Funny! So I did my best not to go into early labor...
38 weeks and 2 day belly, only 3 more days to go before Trey is born.
 |
| From Mama Z and Trey Lloyd Zeiner |
 |
| From Mama Z and Trey Lloyd Zeiner |
Stats:
Biggest Craving: SUPER spicy food, but that had to be subsided during the last trimester due to heartburn issues. But seriously... you can not make it spicy enough for me...
Total weight gain: 27 pounds (I do weigh more overall than with Zane, but my belly is smaller... gained a little too much in arm and leg fat... already planning on a work out routine.)
Trey is estimated to weight 6.5-7lbs.
3 more days to go... we can not wait! Stay tuned...
Monday, December 6, 2010
Amgen Holiday Party!
Dianna gets all dolled up! (27 weeks)
These photos are totally worth a blog post, just to make sure everyone sees them. I really had a blast at this weekend's Amgen Holiday Party. Unfortunately Zane was sick, so I went solo without Gus. Even though Gusti was sorely missed, I did manage to have an absolutely wonderful time without him. Here are just a few of the highlights...
Dianna dancing to Bon Jovi
Photo booth fun!
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| From Amgen Holiday Party 2010 |
These photos are totally worth a blog post, just to make sure everyone sees them. I really had a blast at this weekend's Amgen Holiday Party. Unfortunately Zane was sick, so I went solo without Gus. Even though Gusti was sorely missed, I did manage to have an absolutely wonderful time without him. Here are just a few of the highlights...
Dianna dancing to Bon Jovi
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| From Amgen Holiday Party 2010 |
Photo booth fun!
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| From Amgen Holiday Party 2010 |
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Trey's lullaby
It is funny how music enters your mind subconsciously.
I sang so many different songs/lullabies for Zane, to the point that I never thought that one was specific to him. I only noticed this when I was pregnant with Bryce, because I wanted Bryce to have his own lullaby. So one day, a few weeks prior to Trey's 18 week ultrasound, I was crying and praying in the shower for a survivable child or the strength to go through the agony again. A few minutes later this song, from Land Before Time, popped into my head
If we hold on together - Diana Ross
(short excerpt)
If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
Where clouds roll by
For you and I
Souls in the wind
Must learn how to bend
Seek out a star
Hold on to the end
Valley, mountain
There is a fountain
Washes our tears all away
Words are swaying
Someone is praying
Please let us come home to stay
If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
Where clouds roll by
For you and I
Suitable, don't you think? Stay with me Trey, our adventures are yet to come.
Random thoughts, that I thought I would share...
P.S. So I absolutely love to sing, and I am never embarrassed to do so... BUT this song is quite hard (If you know the tune, try it you will see). Diana Ross, hats off to you!
I sang so many different songs/lullabies for Zane, to the point that I never thought that one was specific to him. I only noticed this when I was pregnant with Bryce, because I wanted Bryce to have his own lullaby. So one day, a few weeks prior to Trey's 18 week ultrasound, I was crying and praying in the shower for a survivable child or the strength to go through the agony again. A few minutes later this song, from Land Before Time, popped into my head
If we hold on together - Diana Ross
(short excerpt)
If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
Where clouds roll by
For you and I
Souls in the wind
Must learn how to bend
Seek out a star
Hold on to the end
Valley, mountain
There is a fountain
Washes our tears all away
Words are swaying
Someone is praying
Please let us come home to stay
If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
Where clouds roll by
For you and I
Suitable, don't you think? Stay with me Trey, our adventures are yet to come.
Random thoughts, that I thought I would share...
P.S. So I absolutely love to sing, and I am never embarrassed to do so... BUT this song is quite hard (If you know the tune, try it you will see). Diana Ross, hats off to you!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Zane is growing up!
"Mommy, Mommy, I need your help"
In kitchen- "yes sweetie?"
"I need you to wipe my butt".
Zane went potty ALL by himself. Yes, he has been trained for almost 2 years, but he tells us and then we have to lift him onto seat. This time he climbed up and did his business all on his own.
Things that mommies are proud of...
Love to you all!
Dianna
P.S. There are also some GREAT photos of Zane in the bathtub (in case you missed it - posted in October). Look at our web albums for more...
In kitchen- "yes sweetie?"
"I need you to wipe my butt".
 |
| From Nov-Dec 2010 |
Zane went potty ALL by himself. Yes, he has been trained for almost 2 years, but he tells us and then we have to lift him onto seat. This time he climbed up and did his business all on his own.
 |
| From Nov-Dec 2010 |
Things that mommies are proud of...
Love to you all!
Dianna
P.S. There are also some GREAT photos of Zane in the bathtub (in case you missed it - posted in October). Look at our web albums for more...
 |
| From Sept-Oct 2010 |
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Joyous news!
We have news to share that prior to now, I was either too scared to write about it or too tired to stay up late to blog. We are pregnant with baby number 3! Due date is March 11, 2011 which places us at 18 weeks tomorrow. Scared and nervous, but extremely wanting this child we call our view on this pregnancy as "cautiously optimistic".
In the womb we called Zane "Ziggy the zygote", with Bryce it was "El (elvis) the embryo". This baby was simple... just Z3. You should know that we decided after it took us literally over an hour to come up with El the Embryo that from that point forward we were going to call any future pregnancies Z3, Z4, Z5 etc. (Although at the time I never thought I would be pregnant 3 times.) 14 weeks ago, we decided to stick with Z3, thinking it was kind of cute. Hence the name. Even though I have not blogged any stories about Z3 up to now, I have taken a few pictures of the growing belly and also placed the ultrasound photos in a web album. Please take a look and notice how truly happy I am about this baby.
For weeks I have been wanting to write about this pregnancy, but truthfully I did not know what to say and I also did not want to document all my sad and fearful feelings. This pregnancy is a new and completely different pregnancy. This baby deserves my love and attention and even though I will always love and remember Bryce, I do not want Z3 to be overshadowed by any sadness.
So here is a quick catch up of this pregnancy, and more posts will follow soon:
Starting Jan 2010 we began officially "trying" and every month from April on, when it did not happen I cried and thought something must be wrong. I know in general it takes parents sometimes up to a year to get pregnant, but with Zane and Bryce we were pregnant on the first try and I thought that maybe something was genetically wrong and that Zane was our miracle child. Plus in this modern age, it is pretty easy to know when you are ovulating. Between books and tests, it leaves little spontaneity in the "let's keep trying" phase. So come May, I made a deal with myself. I either get pregnant by my June cycle or I am taking a hiatus. I was placing too much pressure on myself and obviously still very sad at the year anniversary of Bryce's death. So here was the deal (made with the help of my dear friend Santosh), if I was pregnant by July 4th great! If not, I was going to buy a plane ticket to India and travel with her over Thanksgiving. Trust me I totally thought it was a win-win and at least I was excited about something come the end of my June cycle.
Well surprise surprise,over the July 4th holiday we confirmed I was pregnant and baby number 3 was on its way! Morning sickness began quickly after that and even continues to this day. I only have a 2 day max window so far of my stomach being at ease. BUT do not feel sorry for me, I consider this a good sign. With Zane I was sick until week 18, with Bryce I was barely sick at all so in general I am happy to be sick. Strange but true. I know there is no scientific evidence for the level of sickness being equated to how healthy a baby is, it is a metric for me... at least it calms me down during the rough mornings. =)
Even with our past history, we elected to not run any genetic tests on Z3 (at least not until the 20 week ultrasound). We reasoned that we are a family that can take care and love a special needs child, so all that mattered to us was if the child could survive and what type of quality of life he/she would have. CVS and amniocentesis comes with a risk, and we definitely want to minimize all risks associated with this pregnancy. So we decided to wait until the high resolution ultrasound (given instantly to us because of our history) and see what blessings were in store for us. Of course this is easier said than done. I have been in a state of fear this entire pregnancy that only recently did I realize the weight I had been carrying around.
After discussing concerns with our OB at our 13 week check up, we made an ~18 weeks ultrasound appointment (2 weeks early but still able to detect any malformations) at Stanford Children's Hospital. By now, my Amgen colleagues knew I was pregnant because it was pretty obvious if you looked at me. Plus we just passed the first trimester milestone so I began to become more positive about this pregnancy and Z3. Both Harriet and Nana took me on a lovely shopping spree to get some new duds. (Not that I "needed" any clothes, but I am always up for a little pampering.) It was very appreciated. Then at 16 weeks, my sweet and adoring husband bought me a gorgeous necklace to celebrate my 3 children. I absolutely love it! Plus my energy level recently returned to allow me to stay up until 10pm, (prior to this I was crashing with Zane at 8:30pm). So life has been pretty good for the past few weeks.
Prior to our ultrasound, our therapy sessions had given us a mantra "We did this on purpose for our family". Many family and friends stated "this one will be o.k.", but that honestly did not make me feel better. I kept thinking there was still no way to know, so what made me feel better was "we did this on purpose for our family". It included the chance we were taking, the risk of our hearts breaking again, knowing that we wanted "children", and that Zane and his grandparents deserve more. So the morning of and any other stressful moment prior to our ultrasound I reminded myself that we did this on purpose for our family.
Last Friday Oct 8th, we had our ultrasound. Within seconds we could see that Z3's stomach and heart were in the right place and I began to cry. Then I cried more because what a horrible metric to have. It was just a reminder to how sad a life Bryce actually had. Wonderful news continued to follow as the lead radiologist told us that "No fetal malformations were identified". There was a clear facial profile with an intact palate and the cutest little legs that matched Zane (and mine). Z3 loves to wave and we were very happy to see his heartbeat. We left the ultrasound in a state of shock, realizing this is how it is suppose to happen - the first with all three pregnancies (even with Zane they found a Choroid Plexus Cysts in his brain that lead us to have discussions with genetic counselors-- obvious he is fine and now they claim the presence of one cyst as a normal part of brain development). Z3 gave us the first clear ultrasound, leaving us dazed. We were prepared to hear some sort of bad news... even if it was something that you can have a healthy child with, but to hear the most perfect news left us in disbelief and VERY HAPPY.
Just for clarification, this was a level 2 ultrasound. They looked at brain, heart, facial structures, diaphragm, stomach, bowel, kidneys, bladder, spine, hands, feet, placenta, cord insertion and placement around maternal cervix. ALL reports came back within normal limits. YEAH!!!!!
Cheers to Z3! Congratulations little kiddo! We are so happy and have been in love with you since prior to your conception. I am even more pleased that you are healthy and feel blessed that you have touched our life. Just ~20 more weeks to go. Hang in there and no rushing out!
So I am sure you are wondering what is the gender of Z3. Well, we wanted to celebrate a healthy child first so we waited to find out the sex. BUT we did have the radiologist place a picture in a card for us to open at a time of our choosing.
Over the weekend we did open the card and celebrated as well. We are very excited to announce that Z3 is definitely a boy or a girl. Another post will follow, so stay tuned. I figured this post has enough in it to write about.
Love to all,
Dianna
 |
| From Baby Zeiner #3 |
In the womb we called Zane "Ziggy the zygote", with Bryce it was "El (elvis) the embryo". This baby was simple... just Z3. You should know that we decided after it took us literally over an hour to come up with El the Embryo that from that point forward we were going to call any future pregnancies Z3, Z4, Z5 etc. (Although at the time I never thought I would be pregnant 3 times.) 14 weeks ago, we decided to stick with Z3, thinking it was kind of cute. Hence the name. Even though I have not blogged any stories about Z3 up to now, I have taken a few pictures of the growing belly and also placed the ultrasound photos in a web album. Please take a look and notice how truly happy I am about this baby.
For weeks I have been wanting to write about this pregnancy, but truthfully I did not know what to say and I also did not want to document all my sad and fearful feelings. This pregnancy is a new and completely different pregnancy. This baby deserves my love and attention and even though I will always love and remember Bryce, I do not want Z3 to be overshadowed by any sadness.
So here is a quick catch up of this pregnancy, and more posts will follow soon:
Starting Jan 2010 we began officially "trying" and every month from April on, when it did not happen I cried and thought something must be wrong. I know in general it takes parents sometimes up to a year to get pregnant, but with Zane and Bryce we were pregnant on the first try and I thought that maybe something was genetically wrong and that Zane was our miracle child. Plus in this modern age, it is pretty easy to know when you are ovulating. Between books and tests, it leaves little spontaneity in the "let's keep trying" phase. So come May, I made a deal with myself. I either get pregnant by my June cycle or I am taking a hiatus. I was placing too much pressure on myself and obviously still very sad at the year anniversary of Bryce's death. So here was the deal (made with the help of my dear friend Santosh), if I was pregnant by July 4th great! If not, I was going to buy a plane ticket to India and travel with her over Thanksgiving. Trust me I totally thought it was a win-win and at least I was excited about something come the end of my June cycle.
 |
| From Baby Zeiner #3 |
Well surprise surprise,over the July 4th holiday we confirmed I was pregnant and baby number 3 was on its way! Morning sickness began quickly after that and even continues to this day. I only have a 2 day max window so far of my stomach being at ease. BUT do not feel sorry for me, I consider this a good sign. With Zane I was sick until week 18, with Bryce I was barely sick at all so in general I am happy to be sick. Strange but true. I know there is no scientific evidence for the level of sickness being equated to how healthy a baby is, it is a metric for me... at least it calms me down during the rough mornings. =)
Even with our past history, we elected to not run any genetic tests on Z3 (at least not until the 20 week ultrasound). We reasoned that we are a family that can take care and love a special needs child, so all that mattered to us was if the child could survive and what type of quality of life he/she would have. CVS and amniocentesis comes with a risk, and we definitely want to minimize all risks associated with this pregnancy. So we decided to wait until the high resolution ultrasound (given instantly to us because of our history) and see what blessings were in store for us. Of course this is easier said than done. I have been in a state of fear this entire pregnancy that only recently did I realize the weight I had been carrying around.
After discussing concerns with our OB at our 13 week check up, we made an ~18 weeks ultrasound appointment (2 weeks early but still able to detect any malformations) at Stanford Children's Hospital. By now, my Amgen colleagues knew I was pregnant because it was pretty obvious if you looked at me. Plus we just passed the first trimester milestone so I began to become more positive about this pregnancy and Z3. Both Harriet and Nana took me on a lovely shopping spree to get some new duds. (Not that I "needed" any clothes, but I am always up for a little pampering.) It was very appreciated. Then at 16 weeks, my sweet and adoring husband bought me a gorgeous necklace to celebrate my 3 children. I absolutely love it! Plus my energy level recently returned to allow me to stay up until 10pm, (prior to this I was crashing with Zane at 8:30pm). So life has been pretty good for the past few weeks.
 |
| From Baby Zeiner #3 |
Prior to our ultrasound, our therapy sessions had given us a mantra "We did this on purpose for our family". Many family and friends stated "this one will be o.k.", but that honestly did not make me feel better. I kept thinking there was still no way to know, so what made me feel better was "we did this on purpose for our family". It included the chance we were taking, the risk of our hearts breaking again, knowing that we wanted "children", and that Zane and his grandparents deserve more. So the morning of and any other stressful moment prior to our ultrasound I reminded myself that we did this on purpose for our family.
Last Friday Oct 8th, we had our ultrasound. Within seconds we could see that Z3's stomach and heart were in the right place and I began to cry. Then I cried more because what a horrible metric to have. It was just a reminder to how sad a life Bryce actually had. Wonderful news continued to follow as the lead radiologist told us that "No fetal malformations were identified". There was a clear facial profile with an intact palate and the cutest little legs that matched Zane (and mine). Z3 loves to wave and we were very happy to see his heartbeat. We left the ultrasound in a state of shock, realizing this is how it is suppose to happen - the first with all three pregnancies (even with Zane they found a Choroid Plexus Cysts in his brain that lead us to have discussions with genetic counselors-- obvious he is fine and now they claim the presence of one cyst as a normal part of brain development). Z3 gave us the first clear ultrasound, leaving us dazed. We were prepared to hear some sort of bad news... even if it was something that you can have a healthy child with, but to hear the most perfect news left us in disbelief and VERY HAPPY.
Just for clarification, this was a level 2 ultrasound. They looked at brain, heart, facial structures, diaphragm, stomach, bowel, kidneys, bladder, spine, hands, feet, placenta, cord insertion and placement around maternal cervix. ALL reports came back within normal limits. YEAH!!!!!
 |
| From Baby Zeiner #3 |
Cheers to Z3! Congratulations little kiddo! We are so happy and have been in love with you since prior to your conception. I am even more pleased that you are healthy and feel blessed that you have touched our life. Just ~20 more weeks to go. Hang in there and no rushing out!
So I am sure you are wondering what is the gender of Z3. Well, we wanted to celebrate a healthy child first so we waited to find out the sex. BUT we did have the radiologist place a picture in a card for us to open at a time of our choosing.
 |
| From Baby Zeiner #3 |
Over the weekend we did open the card and celebrated as well. We are very excited to announce that Z3 is definitely a boy or a girl. Another post will follow, so stay tuned. I figured this post has enough in it to write about.
Love to all,
Dianna
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