Familia Cedeño

Abram was born right at 35 weeks gestation. He weighed 4 pounds and 12 ounces. The week before his delivery, I was given a shot to help mature his lungs so that if he was born early, he would be able to breathe on his own, which he did! When he arrived at the NICU, they first wanted to see if he was able to keep his own temperature in an open crib. He only spent a couple of days under lights and was then transferred to a crib. During this time, he had a bunch of wires put on him, including an IV which was how he got his nutrients. They then slowly gave him my milk as I came in to try to breastfeed twice a day and through a feeding tube that went through his nose and down into his tummy. I brought him my breastmilk for about a week. We then switched to formula as my milk supply decreased and I became discouraged with pumping milk. As the days past, he gained weight and slowly took more formula by mouth. Once they saw that he was gaining weight and taking enough formula by mouth, we ...

It's not easy to write about something unpleasant, but I think it's important for me to document this, as it was a very life changing experience for me. Immediately after Abram's birth I felt guilty, like it was my fault that he had come early. Maybe I had been too stressed out or anxious, etc. I was also feeling very sad that he was in the NICU and not with me. This would change a lot of things that I had planned on, like breastfeeding, which I felt was a big part of bonding, which I had successfully experienced with Samuel. We also had a change of insurance at the time, due to Roberto's new employment, which meant I couldn't get access to an electric breast pump after going home. Oh and I just had major surgery to recover from and a five year old son at home. All of these things were running through my mind and I was feeling very overwhelmed. The day we came home from the hospital and could not bring Abram with us, was so very hard. Once I was home, I became o...

After three and a half years of trying to conceive and with the help of assisted reproductive technology, we were pregnant! I honestly was so surprised that it had worked, on the first try and that we were going to be having a baby again. After waiting for so long and preparing myself mentally for disappointment if the treatment had not worked, I was kind of in denial. This was so different compared to my first pregnancy; with Samuel, we did not need to seek medical intervention. Don't get me wrong, I was so grateful that we were able to get the help we needed and that insurance covered a great portion of the cost, but going through that and getting pregnant in that way made it feel different.  I also was more scared of losing this pregnancy even though I had not experienced loss in the past. It had been years since my last pregnancy and my body had also changed in the fact that I had been diagnosed with Addison's disease a few years prior. I didn't really know what to ex...

 So we moved into our house last September...and I haven't really written much about our day to day happenings since then or about the house, so I'm going to do that now. I feel like we got really lucky when it comes to the neighborhood we live in. Many of our neighbors are members of our local ward (church congregation) and they are very nice. The neighborhood is peaceful and I feel pretty safe. Now that we are in our own house, I can see why so many people dream about having one. Not that I didn't want one, I just wasn't crazy about it and was willing to wait a little longer if I had to. I sure am grateful.  Our home is a rambler, there are three bedrooms and two bathrooms, one of those bathrooms is connected to our master bedroom (which I really like because it is a private bathroom) both bathrooms are standard. Our front room/receiving room has a bay window which lets in plenty of sunlight and shows a beautiful mountain view. We have a kitchen/casual dining ...

Here we go again. This is not easy for me to write, but since I already shared on this blog our struggle of trying to conceive another child, I feel like it would be unfair to those of you who are wondering what has happened since then. So after I got put on my medication for Addison's back in November 2013 I made the decision that if we were not pregnant within a year, we would seek medical advice. I tracked my cycles, I bought ovulation tests, and pregnancy tests and I even took my temperature with a basal body temperature thermometer. Over this period of time I learned that I was ovulating and my cycles were regular, so that wasn't the issue and was one thing I could rule out when we saw the doctor. The end of 2014 came and with it my period and I had had it. I could not stand not knowing what in the world was going on inside of me. I just knew that something had to be wrong. That same week I made an appointment with a reproductive endocrinologist. We had our first con...

At Temple Square December 2014 Oh it's been so long since I have posted an update on Samuel. Well since he had a birthday last month, I figure now is the time to do it! He is 4 years old now. How is that possible?! Celebrating his birthday was so much fun this year. He was filled with so much anticipation that when the day finally arrived, he was bursting at the seams with excitement!  The day started off with him running into our bedroom and cheering happy birthday and then opening his present of a set of cars from the movie Cars which he has loved since he was 2. We then took him to lunch to his new favorite fast food place, Chick Fil A. Then later that day we went to the Living Planet Aquarium, which he LOVES. He especially loves looking at the sharks. We had his cousins join him along with our new neighbors. That night we had the family gather at our home for pizza and brownies, more of Samuel's favorite food.  Samuel continues to speak Spanish fluently with us ...

Has it really been ONE YEAR? Last year at this time, I was sitting in a hospital bed, recovering from my Addisonian crisis. Last week, as I woke up on the morning of my brother's birthday, I couldn't help but tear up, as I remembered how miserable I was on his birthday last year, which was right before I had gotten super sick and eventually went to the ER days later. Ugh. That is a memory I never want to relive. Being diagnosed with Addison's hasn't changed my life THAT much. Sure I take meds daily, which is probably the biggest change. I have to make sure I don't over exert myself physically. I wear a medical ID bracelet that never comes off. I am a little more conscious about what I eat, since the meds have changed my metabolism and it is easier to gain weight. Yet, more than anything else, I think the experience has taught me to be grateful. Looking back on that time last year, I am so happy that I am NOT in that state anymore. I appreciate so much the fact...