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Wordless Wednesday

Having a kid makes this post so much more fun!

Can you see that grin?  Seriously from EAR TO EAR.  She said, "This is my cousin Luke.  I'm going to keep him!" 

Say it with me...."Awww!"

Some pictures to tide you over

Oct. 27-10 days old, first trip to McDonald's. He did NOT consume any of their food.

Newborn nanipoos started fitting this week!  Yay!

Friday Oct. 30, First road trip...we drove 3 1/2 hours to the Eastern Shore to visit Great Grams & Cousins Penny & Gary.  Look how big I am!

Giving Mommy my "little old man" look during my first bath @ home.  (Friday Oct. 23)

On the way somewhere...in a preemie outfit that we bought on the 23rd...which now doesn't fit him!!  Can you believe it?!  The shirt is SO teensy tiny!

--That's all folks!

Wordless Wednesday

I can fit into my "newborn" sleepers now! 

One Proud Mama

Here's a picture Melanie took of me with Lucas the night he was born.  She didn't get to the hospital until after 7 so he's around 12 hours old.  I had just gotten "permission" to get out of bed, clean up, and brush my hair & teeth.  Oh I felt so good!  I had no idea what the rest of the week would hold...

Short & Sweet Birth Story

I went into labor on Sunday night. It was VERY quick! My water broke at 2:45 am & by 3:15 (how long it took me to wake Tim up!!) the contractions were at less than 3 minutes apart.


We got to the hospital around 5:15. I was dilated to 3cm.

We found out very quickly that Luke was breech& that I’d be having a c-section.

I was wheeled into the OR at 9:15 and Luke made his arrival at 9:40.

He is 19 inches long and started out at 6 lbs. 3.6 ounces. His head circumference was 33 cms. (He’s a tiny little peanut!)

Within the first 36 hours he lost a lot of weight due to poor latching issues. He got down to 5 lbs. 11 oz.

Then things started looking up for about 12 hours before we found out that Luke had lost more weight, down to 5 lbs. 9 oz., and was severely dehydrated.

I was forced to start supplementing him with formula, which just broke my heart. I spent an entire 1/ 2 a day in bed crying over it & how sick our little boy was.

About ½ way through that day I got my act together and started talking and working out a plan of action for getting Luke healthy.

Around 6:00 that day, we found out he was mildly jaundiced & would need a bili-blanket.

Throughout the day we continued to supplement with pumped milk, formula, and only attempted nursing after Luke was finished eating.

We found out in the wee hours of the morning that Luke had gained 2 oz. We were now above the dreaded 10% birth weight decrease & would be allowed to take our little boy home. (We were on day 4 in the hospital.)

In the morning Luke was cleared of his jaundice & we were discharged around 7:30 am!

We had a check up this morning with Luke’s pediatrician. He gained 5 oz. since yesterday morning & now weighs 6 lbs even! He was very alert and active for about an hour and a half at the doctor’s office. We were so happy. The doctor said he looked great, keep doing what we’re doing and that he didn’t need to come back until he was 1 month old! Yay!

We’re so happy and love our little boy to pieces!

Obviously we call him “Our little Pumpkin”, “Peanut”, Luke, Luke-y, and “Squeaker”. He makes this funny squeaky noise all the time & I just love it.

Anyway, that’s our birth story & first week with our awesome little boy!

Birth Story Continued

Pretext: It's 7:30 am & I'm finally being allowed food....I'm waiting for the food cart to show up before I go back to sleep after nursing my handsome man!!  (My parents will probably show up before I get to go back to sleep though & that's ok.)

So, the c-section began at 9:15 w/ me getting the spinal placed.  (The spinal wasn't  at all & truly numbed me completely.  I am glad I wanted that & not an epidural. I didn't have a choice...but to me the spinal was so much EASIER to do than the epidural.)  Tim didn't want to see anything, so he sat next to my head behind the curtain. 

So, within a matter of minutes they had done the section & pulled Luke out.  I could sort of feel, but don't know if I felt "the moment" when he came out.  I remember them saying he was born at 9:40 am.  He gave a few gurgly cries and I'm assuming the doctors suctioned him & cut his cord pretty quickly.  (We couldn't see.) 

After he stopped being gurgly &crying, they carried him around the curtain on my left side & let me have a looksie. 

Tim got to go over to the bassiet where they were toweling Luke off & checking his vitals.  He got an 8 & 9 on his "at birth" apgars. I don't know what his later ones were, but I plan on asking before we leave. 

After about a minute of Tim looking at the baby & me not being able to see, I told Tim I wanted to touch the baby.  So, the sweet nursery nurse (Tammy) brought him, butt naked & in all his glory, over for me to see and touch.  She let me pet him and give him a kiss, before asking if she could continue drying him. 

He didn't cry or anything, such a good man.

So, then the doctor's finished with me & the nurses finished with Luke.  Tim got to hold him & came to sit with me while I was being stitched up.  He laid Luke on the bed by my head (without letting go) so that I could see and touch and kiss my little boy.  I remember him fussing a bit & me kissing him and going 'shh' and him getting quiet. 

After several minutes of bonding time the nurses had to take him to the nursery to get properly warmed b/c they didn't have a "Panda" warmer in the OR. 

I had asked that they not "bathe" him but just wipe him down & they respected my wishes.  Yay!  Tim and his mom got to go in the nursery with him while they did all kinds of little newborn assessments.  Tim was particularly interested in the testicular exam!  He said they also bent all of his joints as far as they'd go & flexed all his little muscle groups.  Aww...I'm sorry I had to miss that.

It took them a little while longer to get me settled & it was after 10:15 when I got to my post-op/recovering/postpartum room. 

My nurse, Rebecca, stayed with me from the triage room,to surgery, to my post-op room.  As soon as we were in the room, she called for the baby to be brought to me.  She did all the post-op stuff she had to do to me (blood pressure, hooking up IVs, and such) and then she helped me and Tim get Luke to latch on.

Oh how I love feeding my child. 

It'sNOT easy.  But the reward is so great & I know that I'm doing my best for my baby!  So far it's not painful & I am using lanolin after every feeding to help limit any possible soreness. 

Luke got 3 or 4 really big deep swallows of milk in before we were both spent.  I was in tears and he just would not/could not open his tiny mouth wide enough for my huge ta-tas! 

By then it was after 11:15 and maybe even closer to 12! Mandy asked to come in so that she could see Luke & I before leaving to go get Grayson & Spencer.  We let her in for a quick visit. 

Nurse time...