Three Weeks!!

Declan turned three weeks old yesterday and I keep thinking to myself, how is this little boy three weeks old already!?! He's so sweet and so lovable and just melts my heart every single day. We had his two week old checkup on Monday and it was the first time Declan and I attempted an outing by ourselves. I may have driven like an old lady going to and from the pediatrician but we made it with no issues. At our visit, Declan was still underweight and hadn't gotten back to his birth weight so the doctor suggested more feedings and more ounces of formula and a follow up visit for Friday.

It was a bit disheartening that my little guy still hadn't gotten back up to birth weight. I've tried very hard to breastfeed and it still wasn't enough to help put the pounds on our boy. Even in my few short weeks as a mom, I want to do everything I can for my son. I haven't given up breastfeeding but I know now that he needs more than just me so I'm pumping as I can and feeding mostly formula bottles and then breast milk when I get enough pumped out. Thankfully, my pediatrician has been extremely helpful and supportive which has made me feel like less of a breastfeeding failure. I'm also still keeping out hope that my supply will pick up with eating more calories and drinking more water. Breastfeeding is best according to the experts and I agree, but I also had to accept that I have to do whatever it takes to make sure my baby thrives and sometimes that means more than just breastfeeding.

We had our follow up pediatrician appointment on Friday morning and I'm happy to report that Declan finally got over the hump and got back to his birth weight and then some! Declan weighed 7 lbs 7.8 oz on Friday morning and that was even with a few urgent diaper changes at the doctor's office. Other than the weight issue, he's a perfectly happy and healthy little boy, which makes me so happy! Our next appointment will be for his one month checkup.

Thursday evening D's mom and step-dad came to town to visit and meet Declan. They are staying through the weekend and have helped us with a few unexpected things that have popped up around our house. Tonight my mom and step-dad are coming out and we're having a dinner here at our house. I was lucky to have everyone here yesterday so that I could also get out to grocery shop without having to take Declan out in the cold, rainy weather.

Other than that, our week was filled with playing on the new play mat we set up, reading books, listening to music and taking some much needed naps.

Two Weeks!!

Declan is two weeks old today and an absolute joy!! I know I can't say it enough but I am so in love with this little boy! I don't know where the last two weeks have gone but time needs to slow down so I can savor all of these sweet moments with my baby a bit more!

This week, he's taken a greater interest in breastfeeding and has latched better with each passing day. We're still supplementing with formula here and there but not as much as we had to the first week.

We were a bit nervous with his umbilical cord stub which was just handing and smelling pretty foul so we ended up going back to the pediatrician on Saturday. Thankfully, everything was fine and it was normal and the doctor ended up removing it to let his belly button heal. Declan had his first bath on Sunday evening, which lasted all of 30 seconds because he absolutely hated it but it was another milestone for our little guy. We'll have to work on getting him to like the water!

This week was also the week that D went back to work and Declan and I have started to settle into a little bit of a routine. We're not completely set yet but we're starting somewhere. On Sunday, Kathy and Nicole visited and brought us a bunch of meals Steve made for us. We had my mom over for a few hours on Tuesday, Kahla came to spend Thursday and a good part of today with us and my dad also visited for a few hours this afternoon. Everyone just loves this boy so much and we're so lucky to have everyone visiting and helping us.

Declan and I have been bonding all week and along with napping and eating, we've been reading books, listening to music and starting to work on Declan's baby book.

I also started working out this week and while I've been out of the gym for almost two weeks, it was good to get back in there and do something. I haven't been cleared for much (no heavy weights, extensive cardio, etc) but I decided to walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes just to help me get back into shape. It was a bit rough but I'm hopeful I'll be back on track soon!

Today we took Kinny to the vet for her two week checkup since she's been out of quarantine. She had her levels checked again and we are so grateful that everything came back normal on her Renal Panel. We're still waiting for the T4 results which should be back in a few days but at least her heart, electrolytes, temperature are back to normal. She's also gained a pound since her Labor Day visit to our family vet, which is also promising for the Radiocat Iodine I-131 treatment.

This weekend we do not have much planned, probably just taking it easy and staying around the house. I'm still a bit hesitant to take Declan out with the weather not super warm and heading into flu season. While I've had my flu shot and D getting his next week, Declan can't get his until he's at least 6 months old and this mama is a bit nervous of her baby catching something and getting sick. Also, we have D's mom and step-dad coming to town next week and we should be getting the house ready for their visit.

Here are a few pics from our week:

Kinny helping her dad care for her little brother.

One Week!!!

Our little boy is one week old today and it is so hard to believe.  I keep thinking back to last week and all of the pain and pressure I faced through labor and delivery and you know what....it was all so worth it!!!
I am absolutely in love with this little guy!  He's brought so much joy and happiness to us in such a short amount of time. Since coming home Sunday evening, we're starting to settle in at home. Sunday night my dad and step-mom stayed with us. They picked up dinner for us and helped us unload all of our hospital goodies at home.
Monday we had an appointment with the pediatrician. While our boy is perfect, he did end up losing more weight from his birth weight (down from 7 lbs 3 oz to 6 lbs 13 oz to 6 lbs 6 oz) and our pediatrician suggested supplementing his feedings with formula. We started that with each feeding and were then told to follow up with another appointment to check his weight on Tuesday.

My mom came out to help and stay with us on Monday and most of Tuesday. It was really good to have her here to help. With being in the hospital last weekend we were behind on laundry and cleaning and she jumped in to help with those chores and also help us with taking care of Declan. She also went with us to the follow up pediatrician appointment and thankfully Declan gained a bit of weight back (up to 6 lbs 10.8 oz). After the appointment, we took Declan out for pizza. Ok, not so much pizza for him but it was lunchtime and there was a Mod Pizza close by so we stopped for lunch. He was so good sitting in his carrier and just looking around and occasionally dozing off.

Wednesday we just stayed home and tried to enjoy a family day together, catching up on rest when we could and decompressing after an eventful few days.
Thursday we had a day similar to Wednesday but we did have a few visitors in the evening. One of my friends and her boyfriend stopped by to see us and drop off one of the cutest outfits I've ever seen. It was nice to get to catch up and show off our pride and joy. Similar to last Thursday night we watched the Blues game and I reminisced about the week before and the "gush" that started it all. What was even funnier is that at about the same time I felt my amniotic sac rupture last week, I had another "gush" this week. This time, I knew for sure it wasn't me, but I had a little fella on my lap that somehow peed outside of his diaper and it landed all on his mama. I had to laugh and it was such a full circle moment for me.
Today we had another fairly low key day. D took my FMLA and Disability paperwork back to work and my mom came out again to help us. D and I were both in need of some sleep so she watched our sweet boy and let us both take some time to nap. I've been used to getting up multiple times during the middle of the night during my pregnancy so it's not been as hard to get used to getting up every few hours to feed Declan but I did need a couple of hours to get back to feeling a bit more normal.

We don't have a whole lot planned for this weekend. More of just getting used to our new normal and enjoying family time together before D goes back to work on Tuesday.

Right now a few tidbits about our little guy at one week old:
- Declan loves to sleep. If given the choice to wake up and eat or stay sleeping, Declan would choose sleep.
- Declan is a night owl, just like his daddy.
- Declan hates having his arms swaddled and finds a way to get his arms loose and out of the swaddle every time.
- Declan has a strong grip and will hold is own pacifier if you're not holding it exactly the way he wants it.

We're just so in love with our miracle and are ecstatic that he is here.

Just going for a ride to the pediatrician

Kinny wondering why we turned her brother into a purrito.

Kinny babysitting her little brother

He's Here!!!

My induction was scheduled for this evening but we won't be keeping that appointment. Declan decided to make his entrance into the world on Friday night at 11:40 pm after 6 or so hours of labor.  While my labor was considered short, it was extremely eventful and a truly emotional experience.

So, let's start at the beginning.....I had my last doctor's appointment and ultrasound on Wednesday afternoon. At the ultrasound Declan passed all of the biophysical profile requirements and was right on target for his gestational age of 38 weeks and 6 days. We didn't get any ultrasound pics because he was so low in my pelvis and most of the pics would be mostly unidentifiable. The ultrasound tech told us that while we didn't get any pics, we'd see our boy soon enough since I really only had 8 days until my due date. After my ultrasound, I saw my doctor and she did a cervical check and determined I was still 1 cm dilated but I was nearly completely thinned out. My belly was measuring 39 weeks, which was also on track. We talked about my scheduled induction and went over a few things before leaving the office. The last thing my doctor said to me before leaving the room was that if Declan decided to come early, she was on call all weekend at the hospital and would be the one delivering Declan.  I just laughed it off and told her I'd see her at my induction.

Thursday started out like any other day and weeknight. We got home from work and D and I went to workout for 30 or so minutes. After our workout we made dinner and sat down to watch the Blues season opening game. We talked about the upcoming weekend and were planning one last date night on Saturday before Declan's arrival.  Our date night was going to consist of dinner at Olive Garden because I was craving soup and salad and D wanted the never ending pasta bowl....I know, we're wild and crazy! Around 9:30 pm, as we were watching the 3rd period of the Blues game, I felt a gush of something.  I thought I accidentally went to the bathroom on myself and ran down the hall to take care of that. It was a strange feeling but I didn't think my water broke.  I spent another 15-20 minutes in both bathrooms dealing with a few more gushes. I just thought it was my mucous plug and decided to just put on a sanitary pad and head to bed for the night.

I got up multiple times during the night and was soaked each time I got up. It was starting worry me some but I wasn't sure what to expect so I tried to research it a bit in the middle of the night.  Still not convinced it was my bag of water, I got up the next morning, showered and went to work, still feeling the small gushes every 20-30 minutes.

I had quite a bit to work to finish up and a conference call with our biggest customer but still wasn't feeling 100% right. I thought about coming home in the afternoon and just trying to take it easy but D convinced me to call the doctor to see if I needed to come in, in case it was something major. I called the doctor's office at lunchtime and they told me given the fact I was 39 weeks and 1 day along, I should probably go to Labor and Delivery to be checked out, so I sent a quick email to my boss to let him know I was leaving for the day and off to the hospital I went.

They set me up in Triage, put the monitors on me and started a few tests to determine if I was leaking amniotic fluid or if it was just mucous.  After 3 hours in Triage, they determine I had a ruptured amniotic sac and I was going to be admitted into the hospital and I would be having a baby sooner rather than later!

I was moved to a room around 4 pm on Friday where they hooked me back up to monitors and started my IV of fluids.  Around 4:30 pm, they started the Pitocin and we were off! I texted all of my family to let them know what was going on and everyone was crazy excited. My mom, step-dad, dad and step-mom all started heading toward the hospital to be there for support.

Each half an hour they increased my Pitocin and I was feeling alright and my contractions were bearable until around 8:30 pm. At that point, I hit a wall and my contractions became super strong. I asked for my epidural and was set to get it when all hell broke loose in Labor and Delivery and the Anesthesiologists headed towards the OR for other emergency C-sections. I was still only dilated to 1 cm but the contractions were extremely intense and the nurses explained that I'd get my epidural as soon as everything slowed down. Unfortunately things did not slow down in Labor and Delivery for quite some time and at 10 pm, I still hadn't received my epidural and I felt like I was dying from the pain of the contractions. At that point, they again checked to see how dilated I was, which was still 1 cm so they offered me an IV pain medication, Stadol. This made me extremely tired when I wasn't in the middle of a contraction but it did help take the edge off and allowed me to rest. Around 10:30 pm, the Anesthesiologist finally arrived to administer my epidural. I was in such pain that it made it difficult to sit still for them to insert the catheter into my back and I had to rely heavily on the nurses as they made my family leave the room.  About 10:45 pm, they finally had the epidural set.  I was hoping this would be the answers to my laboring prayers but unfortunately it was too little too late for me.  I, somehow, went from 1 cm to 10 cm in less than an hour and once I hit 10, it was time for me to push. The epidural did not have time to work through my system and I virtually had to deliver via a natural birth.  At 11 pm, I started pushing and began the final descent into motherhood.  It was an unbelievable amount of pain and pressure and with each contraction and push, I felt weaker and weaker and just wanted for it all to be over. Between breathing, pushing, resting, breathing, pushing, resting, I was exhausted. I remember yelling at one point, "just get him out of me!"

At 11:40 pm after only 40 minutes of pushing, Declan James arrived weighing 7 lbs 3 ozs and measuring 20 inches long.

I have never felt such happiness and joy and it was an unbelievable miracle! They laid him on my chest as soon as he was born for immediate skin to skin and I couldn't stop crying. I was so overjoyed and couldn't believe that after 9 months, I finally had my baby boy! It truly was the most amazing experience I've ever faced even if it was scary and quite painful.

We spent a good part of Saturday being checked out by the doctors and trying to get acclimated to our new life. The hospital completed his assessments late Saturday night as soon as Declan was 24 hours old and he passed with flying colors. Sunday was much of the same and we were released around 4:30 that afternoon to head home and start our new life together as a family.

We're slowly adjusting to life with a newborn but I can tell you, I have never felt this much love for a human being. He's the most perfect, sweetest little boy and I'm so happy to have him here with us. I pinch myself daily at how lucky I am to be able to be this little guy's mama and I can't wait to see what our future holds.