One

My sweet little Isaac is one month old today! Already! I can't believe he has been with us for a whole month already. He is changing so much everyday, and I just want to keep him itty bitty.

It has been a busy time. My mother was here last week and it just went by too fast. It was so nice to have her here helping with the baby and the house. And we were able to get alot of errands done and even took Isaac for a few walks in the sunshine. :) She spoiled him and he got lots of presents and attention. He also started getting a bit of colic at night last week. It absolutely breaks my heart to hear him cry like he does, he just sounds so scared. It isn't too bad and it isn't all the time...it usually lasts for about 20 minutes.

He had his one month appointment on Tuesday. He weighs 7 lbs. 13 oz, and measures 20 inches. He is on the lower side of the averages, but his motor skills and coordination are high above average. :) He is supporting his own head really well and able to really focus in on things. He is able to smile in response to my smile and is starting to smile on his own. He still doesn't really like his bath.

In terms of sleeping, I still hold him for part of the night. I think this is now my issue, not his. We got a co sleeper for the bed and he sleeps in it for about 2-3 hours. It's not the bassinet, but it is a start. He wakes up to eat and he is just so sleepy when he is trying to eat that it takes longer. After that, I just hold him instead of attempting to put him back in the sleeper. I have to swaddle him really well and hold him till he falls asleep. Then he goes into the sleeper between the positioner that has been warmed under my blanket. I lay next to him and wrap my arm around him and tuck my hand under his back.

Nursing is going really well. I started pumping as well to start building our freezer stash. I usually get about 1.5-2.5 ounces per breast, depending on the time of day. I did get a clogged duct this past week and it HURTS. I saw the NP on Monday and got prescription that is working ok. My best friend this week si the lanolin. :)

To celebrate our baby boy's milestones we have decided to buy him a train set. We are buying the engine for his birth and one train car for his one month birthday. :) I am walking him up to the toy store tomorrow.

40 weeks

Today if my official 40 week due date, that we obviously didn't make it to. While I am so thrilled to have my beautiful baby boy Isaac here with us already, I am kinda sad. I know I really wanted the baby to come early but I guess I really didn't think he would. I think everyone, including the doctor, was expecting him to go a bit late. What makes me sad, as wierd as this may sound, is that I am not pregnant anymore.


Even though I did my share of complaining, and believe me just before Isaac was born, I did, I loved being pregnant. And I didn't really get a chance to be done being pregnant. I know that doesn't make a lot of sense, but I kinda was expecting those 3+ more weeks to finish out the pregnancy and get mentally ready for the next step.

I know it is just the hormones again, and everything is completely out of whack right now. I even miss my doctor. No idea why, I just do. Wierd,I know.

All that aside, I finally got all my deferrments approved. Since Isaac came 3 weeks early our disability is all screwed up. Ben just filed his for the 2 weeks he took, and the paperwork is filled out for his next 4 weeks in March. I am still waiting to hear from the SDI office since I filed to have my maternity leave start on the 7th. So much for that. :) My mom is coming on Sunday and I can't wait for her to get here. Ben has been back at work this week and will be next week too. It has been challenging and Isaac seems to be hungrier than before. He is still sleeping really well at night (last night doesn't count...fussy baby) and he nurses about every 2-3 hours duing the day. He already looks so different to me.

He had another weight check up yesterday and he is back up to his birth weight of 7lbs 2 oz. His diaper rash warranted a prescription lotion as it was not clearing up and starting to break. When the ped. told me this, I started to cry. Yep. Because I felt like I couldn't take care of my own baby. :( I know that is not the case, but again...HORMONES.

Firsts

Firsts for Isaac this week: diaper rash :(, weight check up (up 5 ounces = 6 lbs 13 oz), smile (most likely from gas, but still adorable), umbilical cord falling out (ok, that only happens once, but still), and bath in the sink (not pleasant on the ears).

Firsts for mommy this week: mocha since May, mixed drink (yay daquiri!), steak cooked medium rare (no more leather for me!), and realizing how much the maternal instincts have kicked in when your newborn is screaming his head off because he peed through his sleep and his blanket and your boobs are dripping milk to the point where your pj shirt looks like someone dumped two glasses of water on you and all you can think about is comforting the baby.

So to finish the birth story....

After the epidural kicked in and everyone was stable, I was able to sleep, even with the sexy catheter and scalp monitor. I woke up a couple of hours later when Nurse G (my favorite one) was checking my printout sheets. She said that my labor had almost stopped (contractions 25 minutes apart...they had been 3) and the doctor wanted to come in to talk to me about pitocin. The doctor, who was a nasty piece of work, was not good at explaining things. She was very "this is what we are going to do because I am the doctor and I say so." Plus she talked to me by talking about me right next to me. I started to freak out a little bit. The nurse came back and calmed me down a little bit. She said she would bring the doctor back to explain things better. Dr. came back and was a bit nicer, butnot much. She said since my water had broken about 9 am the previous morning, I was getting close to the deadline for active labor to start. I agreed to the pitocin after a few minutes and she left to review my charts from the night. She came back a few minutes later to say she wanted to prep me for a C section since we had had such a hard time with the epidural and she didn't want any adverse reactions to another drug, and she had called my doctor to verify. She was worried about the baby. I FLIPPED OUT. I was screaming and crying. I felt like because I couldn't handle the pain, I had somehow jeopardized my baby. The doctor came back, wearing scrubs, and actually asked me what was wrong. I said that I just didn't want a C Section and I flipped out again. She said we would wait for my doctor to get in, about 7 am. Ben was really great, and was trying to calm me down and reassure me that things would be ok and that my doctor didn't do C sections unless he absolutely had to.

My doctor finally arrived, and said I was fine for pitocin. Whew. I should say that one of the problems I had with the other doctor was that I didn''t know her at all and she just wasn't nice to me. Not even that, she just wasn't personable. I was relieved that I could start the pitocin and once they hooked it up, I went back to sleep. I didn't wake up until late morning when the nurse came to do my exam. I was 6 cm and 100% effaced. Things were moving very well, and I was still in epidural heaven. I ate some jello. Around 2 in the afternoon, I started to feel like I had to poo very badly. The baby's head was on my colon now and I could feel every contraction again because of it. The nurse checked me again and I was almost at 9 cm and the baby was at +2. About half an hour later she came back and told me I could start pushing. They changed my epidural, and the fun began.

Now, I tried not to scream. Really I did. But I have never exerted so much physical energy and force before in my life. The epidural kept the contraction pain way down, but I could still feel it. The best part was when the nurse told me to stop pushing because the doctor wasn't here yet. Um....no. She said I could still do little pushes. I may have snuck some bigger ones in. The next best part was when she said I could reach down and feel the baby's head. Um...no thanks. The dr. arrived and soon after, I head the first cries fill the room. I lost it. I was bawling. They put him up on me and I didn't want to let him go. Ben did really well, and held my leg the whole time. He cried too. :) He didn't even pass out or anything. :) I didn't feel the ring of fire that they describe when he crowns, but I did feel a stinging. God bless you epidural. :)

The doctor said I did really well. I only had to push for an hour and that was excellant for a first baby on an epidural. All in all, it was about 26 hours of labor (from the big water gush). Oddly enough, the most uncomfortable part for me was the IV in my hand. I complained about it being uncomfy and hurting more than anything else. I can still feel the bump from it. And of course, it was the last thing they took out. It was really wierd when the epi wore off....and apparently funny to watch. I could touch my leg and feel it, but it just didn't feel like my leg. I felt like I was in a nursing home, since they had to roll me over to change the bed liners and stuff. :)

It's true what they say. I don't remember the pain or discomfort. I don't really even remember the discomfort of pregnancy. All I see now is my beautiful baby boy and I don't know what I did without him.

And now...the rest of the story.

Isaac is happily sucking his binky on daddy's lap, so I am trying to catch up on some things. He is doing really well. He has alot of hiccups, especially after the eats....any suggestions on how to cure that? Yesterday, he discovered that he can put his hands in his mouth and now is obsessed with doing that. Makes nursing interesting sometimes... :) He seemed to be a little sick last night...he um...had the runs and a tummy ache. He didn't want to lay flat on his back, and would pull his legs up to his chest like I do when my tummy hurts me. He seems better today. I got him to nap in his bassinet for about an hour and a half. I had to prop up half of the pad in a slight incline and I bought one of those infant sleep positioners.

Speaking of tummies...I was able to sleep on my tummy last night! It felt sooooo good. :) I also had my first mocha since May..again...sooo yummy, although I will probably be awake for 3 days now. I weighed myself again, and I am 7 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight. I am a little concerned about it....this means from my first appointment in January until now, I have dropped 24 pounds. That seems like alot. My stretch marks are fading, which is pleasing, and I am looking forward to working on the tummy flab.

Ok, so where was I with the birth story?

After we checked in and I ha the initial exam, things went pretty well. I was able to eat dinner. The contractions weren't too bad, and I walked around and did my squats and stuff until about 10 pm. My BIL and cousin stopped by to visit and we all walked the halls a bit which helped. After they left, the contractions got a little uncomfy, so I washed my face and got ready for the more dfficult part. About 11 pm, the contractions were just strong enough to hurt. I did some breathing exercises but decided I wanted a light narcotic to take the edge off. They hadn't done another pelvic exam since my water had already broken and they didn't want to cause an infection.They did one before they gave me a drug that I want to say was called Phenalin? I was 3 cm dialated and 95% effaced, which they said was really good for a first baby. To me it was 7+hours and little progress. The narcotic took the edge off for sure, but didn't do it for long. I had 2 doses at 50mg and was able to relax for a bit. But I could still feel the contractions and when the drug wore off, they were stronger than before. I was still able to walk around and stuff, and the nurse told me that on the 3rd dose, I could have 100mg. I kept thinking about how far I still had to go, which I know you are not supposed to do, but it was hard. I talked to Ben about it and we agreed that I would try the 3rd dose and see how it went.

The nurse gave me the larger dose and said it should last about 2 hours. Um...it seriously lasted about 30 minutes. I decided to do an epidural. The anestheiologist (who we will call drug doctor because I can't spell that word) was in town but not in the hospital so they had to call him in. It was about 3 am when he finally got there and I was in PAIN. Ben was so helpful in coaching me with breathing and rubbing my back, but I just couldn't do it. I was dialated to 4cm when the drug doctor arrived. The epidural proved to be quite difficult to put in, especially with my contractions ever 2-3 minutes with no drugs. He kept having to take breaks when they started. When he finally got the catheter in, he had hit a vein so we had to start over. It took forever and I kept thinking that if he says he just can't do it, I am going to kick him in the face. Finally he got it in and administered the test dose. It wasn't long before I was happily numb. BUT....my bp dropped way low. The nurse was reading the printouts and didn't say anything...and then I heard her in the hall saying how the baby was having dcells. Now, I watch enought Grey.s Ana.tomy and Ho.use and such to know what that means,and I got scared. They got my bp stablized and then his dropped. They got his up and then it went too high and mine dropped again. Finally they got us both stable and I was able to get my full epidural dose. Let me just say epidural = LOVE.

ok, there is going to have be a third installment of this story. Someone is hungry boy.

Baby Love

I know everyone says this, but I can't believe how incredibly much I love my baby boy. I am so tired, but I don't want to shut my eyes and sleep because I can't stop looking at him. Even when he is crying and fussy, I still look at him and think how beautiful he is.

We are doing good so far. Tired, of course, but we are doing ok. Isaac sleeps for about a 4 hour block each night, so we get some sleep and we are able to take naps during the day. Well, I am able to take naps during the day. Ben goes to sleep each night a bit before me and sleeps well after Isaac and I get up for his feeding. It works easier this way, because Ben will go back to work sooner than I will, assumably. Plus, Ben can't really do a whole lot for the baby at night as he doesn't have the built in milk factory.

We have a mini routine done, in which Isaac gets changed then fed then cuddled when he wakes up before he falls back asleep. He is usually asleep for 2-3 hours and wakes up for about 1-2 hours. He has a fussy block that usually lasts about 3 hours, and we have been trying to push it back to about 9 pm, instead of the 3 am time that it was for two days. We got it to about 11 pm, so he is doing good.

I have to say that I am realizing how great the advice of friends and family has been in terms of baby products I need and don't need. I had that overwhelming urge to just have everything, and I am glad I passed on some things and also got things I normally wouldn't not have.

Examples: I LOOOOOOOVE my boppy and so does Isaac. It works so well to feed him on. He loves to lay on it, in it, have belly time on it. If I would have known this, I would have gotten 2, just because we use it so much. Friend D told me the best burpie cloths were those microfiber towels, and oh my god was she right. Not only are they cheap cheap cheap, but they are so super absorbent and soft. And they double really well as boob towels after nursing. Isaac also loves his pacifiers...the first years soothie brand. These were recommended by the hospital and other friends. They are not the cutest ones, but he loooooooves how soft and easy to suck on they are. And lastly, we love those Kiddo.potamus one piece swaddlers. We got a couple for shower gifts and they work soooo well. What we really like about them is that they contain our squirmy little man so well and calm him right down. He gets swaddled in regular receiving blankets during the day and the swaddlers at night. He always manages to wiggle his way out of the blankets no matter how tight we swaddle him, which in itself is a bit difficult, because he is so squirmy. :) The one piece swaddlers work sooo well that I went and got 4 more from BRU yesterday. So thanks everyone for your advice. :) Keep it coming.

I was planning to type more birth story but it will have to wait. Someone is calling for his mommy. :)

Pictures, Finally!

So I finally got off my duff (I guess not literally since I was technically sitting on the couch to do all of it) and got the laptop ready for pictures. I won't hold them back any longer.

First, the belly shots up through 38 weeks (31 weeks is missing because that was the week of the baby shower in Ohio and I don't have those pics yet).

30 weeks.

32 weeks.

33 weeks.

34 weeks.

35 weeks.

36 weeks.

37 weeks.


and finally....38 weeks. No more Peanut inside.

And the very best ones. :) Of my precious litte Peanut, Isaac right after he was born, at 2 days and at 4 days. :) I have more that will come later.