I can't believe Henry is 4 months old already. Time is flying by. It's true what they say - the days feel long but the years fly by. I definitely feel that way already.
The most recent development for Henry has been in the area of sleeping. His sleeping habits were getting worse and worse over the last month or so. It was getting increasingly harder to get him to nap. He wanted to be bounced on an exercise ball for an ENTIRE nap. He naps usually 4 or 5 times during the day, so we were bouncing A LOT! Nighttime sleep was always a bit of a challenge because he always wanted his pacifier in and if it fell out, he would wake up. So, we were having to replace the pacifier 8-10 times a night. He also was dependent on the swaddle but he was getting so big and strong he kept breaking out of it in his sleep and waking himself up. After several nights in a row of barely any sleep, Luke and I decided to start sleep training (with the green light from his pediatrician!).
We starting sleep training last night. We are sticking to the "cry-it-out" method as outlined in the book The Sleepeasy Solution, which is basically the Ferber Method. The idea is to break Henry of any "sleep props" (pacifier, swaddle, rocking, bouncing, etc.) and train him to put himself to sleep. After an elaborate bedtime routine, we put Henry in his crib awake but tired. The idea is that you let them cry but check on them in intervals. So, we lay him down, let him cry for 5 minutes and then go back in the room and soothe him with only our voice and stay less than 30 seconds. Then, you wait 10 minutes and go back in and do the same thing. Then wait 15 minutes and go back in. You do this every 15 minutes until he falls asleep. If he wakes in the middle of the night, you do the same thing. And we do the same thing for naps. We really wanted "cry-it-out" methods to be a last resort but after trying several "no cry" methods with no success, we turned to this as our last resort. And boy oh boy, am I glad we did! The first night (Monday night) was really rough. Henry cried for a total of about 5 hours off and on. I think I got two hours of sleep total. It was heartbreaking. I definitely questioned whether or not it would work. But last night, Henry slept from 7:30 PM - 6:15 AM and didn't wake up once. I can't even begin to explain how wonderful it feels. I am SO happy that he seems to have learned this valuable skill.
Naps are still hard but we are working on it. Sometimes, he will go down just fine and other times he cries up to an hour. Apparently, naps take longer because they are less tired during the day so sleep doesn't come as easy. Also, they want to be awake to play and interact instead of sleep, so they fight it more.
The book warned that you can sometimes take two steps ahead and one step back in this process, so I am mentally preparing for some other tough nights. But it's so nice to know that he is capable of sleeping through the night. I am one happy and proud mommy!
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Quick Update
Wow - I can't believe it's been over a month since I last posted! Sorry for not doing a better job of updating the blog. I can barely manage to shower these days! :)
Henry has still refused to breastfeed and I have been exclusively pumping for the last month and a half. I made the very tough decision today to switch Henry to formula. Pumping was just becoming too cumbersome and Henry has been more difficult lately. I needed to make life easier for us and this was the one thing I could control. So, as of today, Henry will be taking bottles of formula. It was a tough decision for me. I really wanted him to have breastmilk but at this point it was just better for us to stop. The upside - I had a mojito at dinner tonight! :) In all seriousness, it will be nice to spend more time with him instead of pumping for 20 minutes every time he eats.
Henry has been sleeping better at night. We usually put him down around 10 and he will sleep for a good 5 hours. We feed him and he goes right back down for another 2 or so. The problem is that he is totally hooked on his binkie, so we have to replace it several times in the night. If it falls out, he wakes up wanting it. He still isn't sleeping on his own for naps. We plan to do some sleep training with him when he turns 4 months old once we have the green light from the pediatrician. I can't wait to help him sleep better. We all need it!
For awhile, Henry was adhering fairly consistently to a three hour routine (eat for 20 minutes, play for about an hour, sleep for 1.5 hours). This has now switched to a two hour routine (eat for 20 minutes, play for 45 minutes, sleep for 45 minutes). I am thinking he might be going through a growth spurt, since his feedings are supposed to be getting farther apart, not closer together. Around 4 months, he should be on more of a four hour routine (eat and then play for about 2 hours, sleep for 2 hours). Hopefully by then he will be taking more consistent naps.
Motherhood is by far the hardest yet most wonderful thing I have ever done. Some days are absolutely wonderful and others are so incredibly challenging. Today was a very challenging day with a lot of tears. But Luke and I are still learning how to be the best parents we can be.
Speaking of Luke, I don't know what I would do without that man. He is so wonderful. He helps so much with the baby and has been so selfless - giving up sleep in the night to let me get some extra rest, helping around the house, letting me have some "me" time when I need it. I am so thankful for him.
I go back to work on May 7th and I am both looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time. I am looking forward to getting out of the house and getting back to work. I miss interacting with people during the day and really enjoy the people I work with and I am excited to see them again soon. But I am not looking forward to leaving Henry with other people while I am at work. We finally figured out our childcare situation which has been a huge relief. It definitely makes it easier when I think about going back.
I will hopefully post another update soon, but you never know! :) I will try to touch on some fun things we have done in the last month, including a trip to Suncadia with my family!
Henry has still refused to breastfeed and I have been exclusively pumping for the last month and a half. I made the very tough decision today to switch Henry to formula. Pumping was just becoming too cumbersome and Henry has been more difficult lately. I needed to make life easier for us and this was the one thing I could control. So, as of today, Henry will be taking bottles of formula. It was a tough decision for me. I really wanted him to have breastmilk but at this point it was just better for us to stop. The upside - I had a mojito at dinner tonight! :) In all seriousness, it will be nice to spend more time with him instead of pumping for 20 minutes every time he eats.
Henry has been sleeping better at night. We usually put him down around 10 and he will sleep for a good 5 hours. We feed him and he goes right back down for another 2 or so. The problem is that he is totally hooked on his binkie, so we have to replace it several times in the night. If it falls out, he wakes up wanting it. He still isn't sleeping on his own for naps. We plan to do some sleep training with him when he turns 4 months old once we have the green light from the pediatrician. I can't wait to help him sleep better. We all need it!
For awhile, Henry was adhering fairly consistently to a three hour routine (eat for 20 minutes, play for about an hour, sleep for 1.5 hours). This has now switched to a two hour routine (eat for 20 minutes, play for 45 minutes, sleep for 45 minutes). I am thinking he might be going through a growth spurt, since his feedings are supposed to be getting farther apart, not closer together. Around 4 months, he should be on more of a four hour routine (eat and then play for about 2 hours, sleep for 2 hours). Hopefully by then he will be taking more consistent naps.
Motherhood is by far the hardest yet most wonderful thing I have ever done. Some days are absolutely wonderful and others are so incredibly challenging. Today was a very challenging day with a lot of tears. But Luke and I are still learning how to be the best parents we can be.
Speaking of Luke, I don't know what I would do without that man. He is so wonderful. He helps so much with the baby and has been so selfless - giving up sleep in the night to let me get some extra rest, helping around the house, letting me have some "me" time when I need it. I am so thankful for him.
I go back to work on May 7th and I am both looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time. I am looking forward to getting out of the house and getting back to work. I miss interacting with people during the day and really enjoy the people I work with and I am excited to see them again soon. But I am not looking forward to leaving Henry with other people while I am at work. We finally figured out our childcare situation which has been a huge relief. It definitely makes it easier when I think about going back.
I will hopefully post another update soon, but you never know! :) I will try to touch on some fun things we have done in the last month, including a trip to Suncadia with my family!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Sleeping and Eating
Unfortunately, Henry is still refusing to nurse. I am now exclusively pumping and giving him breastmilk in a bottle. I am thankful that he is still able to get breastmilk, but I am not sure I will be able to keep up the exclusively pumping gig for much longer. It's nearly impossible to pump when I am home alone with Henry. I have to feed him a bottle and then immediately set him down to pump for 20 minutes. Usually, he starts fussing or crying about halfway through the pumping session, which I either have to cut short or listen to him cry. This happens at least three times during the day while Luke is at work. And it happens more frequently when Luke has to work evenings or has plans away from the house. Also, I was fine feeding Henry out in public, but it's a little more difficult to plan to pump while we are out and about. I still hope that this feeding thing works itself out. I think it will be easier when I go back to work, since I will be mostly pumping then anyway.
Henry has been a little better about napping on his own. Yesterday, he took a three hour nap in his crib! It was great! He still needed to be held for his other naps, but hey, it's progress.
Sleeping at night has gone downhill a little bit. Henry is sleeping a great 4 or 5 hour stretch but then won't really go back to sleep. We put him back down, but he is awake after about 30 minutes. So, we both haven't gotten much sleep past 3:00 AM. I am SO TIRED. I really think the lack of sleep is catching up to me. I am absolutely exhausted. And it is so much harder to comfort a screaming baby when you are sleep deprived.
It's been a rough couple of weeks for us but we are hoping that Henry's sleeping and eating issues get better with each passing day.
Despite the sleeping and eating issues, we have managed to have some fun in the last week. My stepdad, Joel, was a collegiate swimmer and taught both my brother and I how to swim at a young age. He is looking forward to teaching Henry how to swim as well. This past Saturday, Henry and Joel had their first swim lesson! Henry did pretty well, but the pool was kind of cold so he didn't stay in for very long. Sorry for the blurry pictures - we took them with our phone.
I also had to post this picture of a remarkable blowout that Henry had this week. Priceless.
Henry had his two month check-up last week and he now weighs 13 pounds, 14 ounces, keeping him in the 95th percentile for weight. He is also 23 inches long, putting him in the 75 percentile for height. He is huge! He is 100% healthy and we are so thankful for that. We love our big guy.
Henry has been a little better about napping on his own. Yesterday, he took a three hour nap in his crib! It was great! He still needed to be held for his other naps, but hey, it's progress.
Sleeping at night has gone downhill a little bit. Henry is sleeping a great 4 or 5 hour stretch but then won't really go back to sleep. We put him back down, but he is awake after about 30 minutes. So, we both haven't gotten much sleep past 3:00 AM. I am SO TIRED. I really think the lack of sleep is catching up to me. I am absolutely exhausted. And it is so much harder to comfort a screaming baby when you are sleep deprived.
It's been a rough couple of weeks for us but we are hoping that Henry's sleeping and eating issues get better with each passing day.
Despite the sleeping and eating issues, we have managed to have some fun in the last week. My stepdad, Joel, was a collegiate swimmer and taught both my brother and I how to swim at a young age. He is looking forward to teaching Henry how to swim as well. This past Saturday, Henry and Joel had their first swim lesson! Henry did pretty well, but the pool was kind of cold so he didn't stay in for very long. Sorry for the blurry pictures - we took them with our phone.
I also had to post this picture of a remarkable blowout that Henry had this week. Priceless.
Henry had his two month check-up last week and he now weighs 13 pounds, 14 ounces, keeping him in the 95th percentile for weight. He is also 23 inches long, putting him in the 75 percentile for height. He is huge! He is 100% healthy and we are so thankful for that. We love our big guy.
Monday, February 20, 2012
2 Months
I am sorry to the faithful readers of this blog - it has been far too long since I last posted an update. Forgive me, life has been crazy busy with a newborn baby! I can barely make time to shower, let alone sit down and write out a blog post. :) So, here is a recap of the last two months in our busy lives.
Henry James is just about the cutest baby in the whole world. Of course, Luke and I are a little biased. The last couple of months have been quite the whirlwind. Luke and I have been working hard at learning how to be parents. It's quite the job. A 24/7 job. A 24/7 job that revolves around the demands of another human being. A very demanding little human being. :)
An update on night sleeping: Henry wasn't sleeping very well at first. Around the clock, he would be up every couple of hours to eat. Because I am breastfeeding, there wasn't much Luke could do in the middle of the night when Henry woke up just to eat. So, if Henry woke up to eat and went right back to sleep, Luke was able to sleep through the night. However, it was rare that Henry went right back to sleep after eating. Usually, he would eat and then be awake for an hour or so. So, our routine became that I would wake up and feed Henry for 45 minutes to an hour and then wake up Luke to put Henry back to sleep. This happened every couple of hours. So, needless to say, we weren't getting much sleep. However, over the last few weeks, Henry has been sleeping a longer chuck of time at night. We usually put him to bed around 10 PM and he sleeps soundly until 2 or 3 AM. He then wakes up to eat and we put him back to sleep at 4 AM until about 6:30 AM. Then he is up for the day. At the feeding in the middle of the night, Henry is usually wide awake after I feed him. So, it takes a bit of work for us to get him back down. The magic combination we have found for him sleeping well is a tight double swaddle and a white noise machine. We moved the crib into our room, as it was just much more practical to put him to sleep in a bedroom than the living room. This way, we can put him to sleep and still watch TV or be out in the living room as needed.
An update on naps: Henry is a snuggler. He loves to be held and loves to be in motion. He sleeps very well in the car, in a baby carrier and while being held. This has made it difficult to put him down for naps. He doesn't sleep more than like 10 minutes if I lay him down on his back. His arms and legs flail, startling him awake. I have tried swaddling him for naps as well, but he still doesn't sleep very long this way during the day. I have put him to sleep a couple of times on his stomach and he definitely sleeps better this way. But I am terrified of SIDS so I try to avoid this option as much as possible. Therefore, most of my day is spent holding my sleeping baby. It's wonderful to hold a sleeping baby, but not for an entire day. It makes it impossible to shower, clean, run errands, answer emails, etc. Everyone says to enjoy it for now because soon he won't want to be held anymore. I suppose that is true but at this point it just feels a little inconvenient. I am sure as he gets older, it will be easier for him to sleep on his own. It's just a season.
An update on breastfeeding: As I said in my previous post, breastfeeding has been going really well with the help of a nipple shield. Henry was doing really great eating and had no problems latching on. He is definitely gaining weight and turning out a healthy number of wet and dirty diapers, so I was super happy about that. However, over the last week or so, Henry has been having a really tough time breastfeeding. My pediatrician recommended introducing him to a bottle between 4-6 weeks so that he would be able to take both the bottle and the breast easily. So, around 6 weeks we started giving him a bottle once a day. However, now it's apparent that he prefers the steady flow and ease of bottle feeding. About 3 minutes into nursing, Henry now screams and cries and refuses to nurse. He gets frustrated with the slow and intermittent flow of nursing. It's become rather frustrating for both of us. His refusal to nurse has drastically reduced my milk supply so I have been having to pump to keep it up. Over the last three days, I have literally been pumping after every feeding to increase my milk supply. It hasn't been going well. Henry has only been getting more and more frustrated and adamant about only taking a bottle. We have his two month check up appointment tomorrow, so I plan on asking his pediatrician for advice. I am really disappointed in this turn of events and really hope to find a solution so I don't have to stop breastfeeding. But pumping after every feeding and supplementing just isn't practical. I can't pump when we are out of the house and can't do it while I am alone, since no one else is here to hold Henry. It's been a rough last couple of days, with lots of tears by both me and Henry. But I am thankful that I have been able to breastfeed so far and I really do have hope that Henry and I can turn this around and find a solution.
An update on awake time: Now we get to the good part. After each feeding session (which is every three hours), Henry is awake for about an hour. During this time, Henry is a very happy, smiley baby. He is very interactive and will coo and smile when we talk to him. He is so fun. It's been amazing to watch him discover the world around him. He loves his bouncy seat and play mat and definitely recognizes Luke and I. We can't wait for his awake time to increase so we can play with him more and more.
Henry's "firsts": Henry had a lot of "firsts" these past two months, including his first snowstorm, his first trip on an airplane, his first hotel stay. Seattle had a nasty snow and ice storm in mid-January which kept Henry and I held up at home. The power actually went out for about 24 hours, so we went and stayed in a hotel. We also traveled to Florida at the end of January for a work conference of Luke's with Young Life and Henry did great on the plane and away from home. It has been a busy couple of months! We also have some fun trips to look forward to. In March we are going to Suncadia (a nearby resort) with my family. In April we are traveling to Ohio to visit Luke's extended family. And in May we are visiting my sister at college in Santa Cruz. We can't wait!
Overall, we are doing pretty well. Everyone told us that the first two months are the hardest, but we are actually finding that it's getting harder. The last week has been the hardest by far with Henry's eating troubles. With his trouble eating, he has been much fussier and sleeping much worse. I will absolutely switch to formula soon if we can't find a breastfeeding solution. I would rather have a happy, healthy baby that is formula fed than a grumpy, underfed baby.
But, we are loving life as a family of three. It's only been two months but we can't imagine what life would be like without our precious baby boy. He is so adorable and we love him so much! And now, some fun pictures for your enjoyment:
We are taking weekly pictures of Henry until he is three months old and then we will be taking monthly pictures. The "7" pillow doesn't mean anything - we just wanted something consistent to set him next to so we could see the changes in his growth each time.
One of our friends and his wife, Sean and Laura Thompson, took some amazing professional photos of Henry when he was just 9 days old. They are incredible photographers and you can check out more of their work here.
Henry's first snow:
All bundled up and ready for a walk:
Sleepyhead:
Sleeping on dad:
Naptime:
Smiling at Grandma Tushar:
Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, encouragement and advice these last two months. We have so appreciated everyone's support!
Henry James is just about the cutest baby in the whole world. Of course, Luke and I are a little biased. The last couple of months have been quite the whirlwind. Luke and I have been working hard at learning how to be parents. It's quite the job. A 24/7 job. A 24/7 job that revolves around the demands of another human being. A very demanding little human being. :)
An update on night sleeping: Henry wasn't sleeping very well at first. Around the clock, he would be up every couple of hours to eat. Because I am breastfeeding, there wasn't much Luke could do in the middle of the night when Henry woke up just to eat. So, if Henry woke up to eat and went right back to sleep, Luke was able to sleep through the night. However, it was rare that Henry went right back to sleep after eating. Usually, he would eat and then be awake for an hour or so. So, our routine became that I would wake up and feed Henry for 45 minutes to an hour and then wake up Luke to put Henry back to sleep. This happened every couple of hours. So, needless to say, we weren't getting much sleep. However, over the last few weeks, Henry has been sleeping a longer chuck of time at night. We usually put him to bed around 10 PM and he sleeps soundly until 2 or 3 AM. He then wakes up to eat and we put him back to sleep at 4 AM until about 6:30 AM. Then he is up for the day. At the feeding in the middle of the night, Henry is usually wide awake after I feed him. So, it takes a bit of work for us to get him back down. The magic combination we have found for him sleeping well is a tight double swaddle and a white noise machine. We moved the crib into our room, as it was just much more practical to put him to sleep in a bedroom than the living room. This way, we can put him to sleep and still watch TV or be out in the living room as needed.
An update on naps: Henry is a snuggler. He loves to be held and loves to be in motion. He sleeps very well in the car, in a baby carrier and while being held. This has made it difficult to put him down for naps. He doesn't sleep more than like 10 minutes if I lay him down on his back. His arms and legs flail, startling him awake. I have tried swaddling him for naps as well, but he still doesn't sleep very long this way during the day. I have put him to sleep a couple of times on his stomach and he definitely sleeps better this way. But I am terrified of SIDS so I try to avoid this option as much as possible. Therefore, most of my day is spent holding my sleeping baby. It's wonderful to hold a sleeping baby, but not for an entire day. It makes it impossible to shower, clean, run errands, answer emails, etc. Everyone says to enjoy it for now because soon he won't want to be held anymore. I suppose that is true but at this point it just feels a little inconvenient. I am sure as he gets older, it will be easier for him to sleep on his own. It's just a season.
An update on breastfeeding: As I said in my previous post, breastfeeding has been going really well with the help of a nipple shield. Henry was doing really great eating and had no problems latching on. He is definitely gaining weight and turning out a healthy number of wet and dirty diapers, so I was super happy about that. However, over the last week or so, Henry has been having a really tough time breastfeeding. My pediatrician recommended introducing him to a bottle between 4-6 weeks so that he would be able to take both the bottle and the breast easily. So, around 6 weeks we started giving him a bottle once a day. However, now it's apparent that he prefers the steady flow and ease of bottle feeding. About 3 minutes into nursing, Henry now screams and cries and refuses to nurse. He gets frustrated with the slow and intermittent flow of nursing. It's become rather frustrating for both of us. His refusal to nurse has drastically reduced my milk supply so I have been having to pump to keep it up. Over the last three days, I have literally been pumping after every feeding to increase my milk supply. It hasn't been going well. Henry has only been getting more and more frustrated and adamant about only taking a bottle. We have his two month check up appointment tomorrow, so I plan on asking his pediatrician for advice. I am really disappointed in this turn of events and really hope to find a solution so I don't have to stop breastfeeding. But pumping after every feeding and supplementing just isn't practical. I can't pump when we are out of the house and can't do it while I am alone, since no one else is here to hold Henry. It's been a rough last couple of days, with lots of tears by both me and Henry. But I am thankful that I have been able to breastfeed so far and I really do have hope that Henry and I can turn this around and find a solution.
An update on awake time: Now we get to the good part. After each feeding session (which is every three hours), Henry is awake for about an hour. During this time, Henry is a very happy, smiley baby. He is very interactive and will coo and smile when we talk to him. He is so fun. It's been amazing to watch him discover the world around him. He loves his bouncy seat and play mat and definitely recognizes Luke and I. We can't wait for his awake time to increase so we can play with him more and more.
Henry's "firsts": Henry had a lot of "firsts" these past two months, including his first snowstorm, his first trip on an airplane, his first hotel stay. Seattle had a nasty snow and ice storm in mid-January which kept Henry and I held up at home. The power actually went out for about 24 hours, so we went and stayed in a hotel. We also traveled to Florida at the end of January for a work conference of Luke's with Young Life and Henry did great on the plane and away from home. It has been a busy couple of months! We also have some fun trips to look forward to. In March we are going to Suncadia (a nearby resort) with my family. In April we are traveling to Ohio to visit Luke's extended family. And in May we are visiting my sister at college in Santa Cruz. We can't wait!
Overall, we are doing pretty well. Everyone told us that the first two months are the hardest, but we are actually finding that it's getting harder. The last week has been the hardest by far with Henry's eating troubles. With his trouble eating, he has been much fussier and sleeping much worse. I will absolutely switch to formula soon if we can't find a breastfeeding solution. I would rather have a happy, healthy baby that is formula fed than a grumpy, underfed baby.
But, we are loving life as a family of three. It's only been two months but we can't imagine what life would be like without our precious baby boy. He is so adorable and we love him so much! And now, some fun pictures for your enjoyment:
We are taking weekly pictures of Henry until he is three months old and then we will be taking monthly pictures. The "7" pillow doesn't mean anything - we just wanted something consistent to set him next to so we could see the changes in his growth each time.
One of our friends and his wife, Sean and Laura Thompson, took some amazing professional photos of Henry when he was just 9 days old. They are incredible photographers and you can check out more of their work here.
Henry's first snow:
All bundled up and ready for a walk:
Sleepyhead:
Sleeping on dad:
Naptime:
Smiling at Grandma Tushar:
Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, encouragement and advice these last two months. We have so appreciated everyone's support!
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Henry James Has Arrived!
Welcome to the world Henry James Tushar! This will be a long post as I want to record everything that has happened during Henry's first few days of life. :)
Luke and I went into the hospital at 2:00 PM on Monday, December 19th. Luke was so excited that he made us take a picture of our parking spot. And he did a great job of documenting every moment from the very beginning. Hopefully you will see that from the pictures below. When we arrived at the hospital, we checked in at Labor and Delivery. A nurse took us back to the labor room, where I changed into a stylish floral hospital gown and the nurse put in an IV and monitored how Henry was doing. The first IV attempt was botched, leaving me bruised and looking like an intravenous drug user. We were able to just hang out in the room a little bit, as our c-section was scheduled for 4:00 PM. We met the anesthesiologist who explained to us exactly what to expect during the surgery. My doctor also checked in with us and answered any questions that we had. We also filled out a bunch of consent forms for everything that was about to happen. They also set me up with this heated air blanket to warm me up because the operating room was really cold. Super flattering pictures below. :) Luke and I thought that time would drag on while we were waiting for the c-section to start, but time actually flew by.
Arriving at the hospital and our parking spot:
In the waiting room:
Our labor room:
Signing consent forms:
Waiting in the labor room:
Heating blanket:
Luke in his scrubs:
At about 4:10, a few nurses came in and walked us to the operating room. It was very cold and bright - not at all what I expected. The nurses had warned us that for the doctors this procedure is very routine, so not to be alarmed by how casual they seem to be about it. And boy, I was thankful they said that. Throughout the surgery, they were talking about Christmas shopping, Verizon discounts and a bunch of other random chit chat. If I hadn't been warned, I think that would have made me a little nervous. For c-sections, it's customary to do a spinal block for a c-section, since it wears off quickly and allows the mothers to be walking around sooner. Unfortunately, the anesthesiologist had a lot of trouble with the spinal block. He stuck me about 20 times with the needle, but couldn't get it placed correctly. It was a bit painful but was mostly just uncomfortable. Definitely the worst part of the procedure. The anesthesiologist ended up just doing an epidural, which was a totally bizarre feeling. I could still move my legs and wiggle by toes, but I felt like my legs were asleep and I couldn't feel anything. To test the epidural, the anesthesiologist sprayed freezing cold water along my side, starting at my thigh and working up to my rib cage. I told him when I could feel the cold, which was up by my rib cage. That's when he knew it was working. I actually had to ask them if they had started because I couldn't feel the initial cut or anything. I didn't feel any pain throughout the procedure, but I could feel pulling, tugging and moving around down there. It was totally surreal. Luke and I just talked to each other as it was happening.
In the operating room, with the anesthesiologist:
Luke's view of the surgery:
After about 20 minutes, our little boy was out! He came out wailing and actually peed on the doctor on his way out. :) It was a moment I will never forget. I was overcome with emotion when I saw him and just couldn't believe he was finally here. Once he was out, the nurses took him to get cleaned up. Luke headed over to snap some pictures. They gave him a couple of shots, weighed him and then wrapped him up and handed him to Luke. Henry was a big boy, weighing 9 pounds, 3 ounces and measuring 19.5 inches long. Luke brought him over to me and we were able to spend some precious moments together as a family. It took the doctors about 40 minutes to stich and clean me up and then then transfered me to a hospital bed and rolled me back into the labor room.
Henry on his way out:
He is here!
Getting cleaned up:
Getting weighed:
Meeting my son:
First family photo:
We spent the next two hours in the labor room while the nurses ran a bunch of tests on me and Henry, which included taking our vital signs every 20 minutes or so. They also gave Henry his first bath and I was able to try breastfeeding. It was a bit crazy in recovery with all of the nurses buzzing around. But I was on some sort of high and just was so excited that Henry was finally here.
First bath:
Footprints!
Henry's stats:
After our two hours in the recovery room, we were transfered to a regular hospital room, where we stayed for the next couple of days. The night we were first transfered into the room, our families (parents and siblings) came to visit. It was so great to introduce Henry to the most special people in our lives. Everyone was so excited. It's the first grandchild for all of our parents and the first nephew for all of our siblings. Henry is so loved by so many people already.
So adorable!
The next couple of days in the hospital were just spent recovering. The nurses came in every hour or so to check the vital signs of me and Henry and everything looked great. We were so lucky to have awesome nurses. Every nurse was so helpful and kind and really put me and Luke at ease. Henry is very healthy and my recovery has been very smooth. Surprisingly, I didn't have much pain at all. I was on some pretty heavy duty main medication through my IV and was taking oral vicodin, so I was feeling pretty good. :) Since I wasn't able to be up moving around, Luke became an expert at swaddling and diaper changing. Henry and I tried to get the hang of breastfeeding in the hospital but had a little bit of a hard time. We later found out that Henry's chin is a little bit set back and I have short nipples (too much detail?) so we have been having to use a nipple shield, which makes it easier for him to latch on. Since we starting using the shield, Henry has been breastfeeding like a champ. Luke had to sleep on a terrible cot in the hospital room but I was loving the hospital bed. I could use the controls on the bed to adjust it exactly to my comfort and could even control the TV. I need one of those beds at home. :)
We came home on Wednesday, December 21st in the evening. It felt so nice to be home after the stay in the hospital. The biggest challenge since being home has been getting Henry to sleep at night. Every time we put Henry down to sleep on his back, he would wake up fussing and crying. The only way we could get him to sleep was to hold him. At first, Luke and I had to take shifts at night holding him so one of us could get some sleep. Finally, a couple of nights ago, we found the perfect combination of swaddling and white noise in order to get him to sleep for long stretches on his own. It was been glorious and we are hoping that it continues.
On our way home:
So far, we absolutely love being parents. Henry is such a sweet, easy baby and we feel incredibly blessed that he is so healthy. My favorite thing has been watching him smile in his sleep. Luke's favorite thing has been Henry trying to lift his head during a burping session (he looks like an adorable bobblehead). We had so many people tell us how difficult, exhausting and trying life was with a new baby and we haven't felt that at all. Sure, we have to deal with sleep deprivation, some frustration with crying and uncertainty as parents, but overall we just feel so full of joy and so blessed to have such a lovable son.
Thank you all for the nice emails, cards, notes and gifts to welcome Henry into the world. We feel so supported and loved and know that Henry has some very special people in his life. You are all so wonderful!
Some more fun pictures of our adorable baby boy:
Luke and I went into the hospital at 2:00 PM on Monday, December 19th. Luke was so excited that he made us take a picture of our parking spot. And he did a great job of documenting every moment from the very beginning. Hopefully you will see that from the pictures below. When we arrived at the hospital, we checked in at Labor and Delivery. A nurse took us back to the labor room, where I changed into a stylish floral hospital gown and the nurse put in an IV and monitored how Henry was doing. The first IV attempt was botched, leaving me bruised and looking like an intravenous drug user. We were able to just hang out in the room a little bit, as our c-section was scheduled for 4:00 PM. We met the anesthesiologist who explained to us exactly what to expect during the surgery. My doctor also checked in with us and answered any questions that we had. We also filled out a bunch of consent forms for everything that was about to happen. They also set me up with this heated air blanket to warm me up because the operating room was really cold. Super flattering pictures below. :) Luke and I thought that time would drag on while we were waiting for the c-section to start, but time actually flew by.
Arriving at the hospital and our parking spot:
In the waiting room:
Our labor room:
Signing consent forms:
Waiting in the labor room:
Heating blanket:
Luke in his scrubs:
At about 4:10, a few nurses came in and walked us to the operating room. It was very cold and bright - not at all what I expected. The nurses had warned us that for the doctors this procedure is very routine, so not to be alarmed by how casual they seem to be about it. And boy, I was thankful they said that. Throughout the surgery, they were talking about Christmas shopping, Verizon discounts and a bunch of other random chit chat. If I hadn't been warned, I think that would have made me a little nervous. For c-sections, it's customary to do a spinal block for a c-section, since it wears off quickly and allows the mothers to be walking around sooner. Unfortunately, the anesthesiologist had a lot of trouble with the spinal block. He stuck me about 20 times with the needle, but couldn't get it placed correctly. It was a bit painful but was mostly just uncomfortable. Definitely the worst part of the procedure. The anesthesiologist ended up just doing an epidural, which was a totally bizarre feeling. I could still move my legs and wiggle by toes, but I felt like my legs were asleep and I couldn't feel anything. To test the epidural, the anesthesiologist sprayed freezing cold water along my side, starting at my thigh and working up to my rib cage. I told him when I could feel the cold, which was up by my rib cage. That's when he knew it was working. I actually had to ask them if they had started because I couldn't feel the initial cut or anything. I didn't feel any pain throughout the procedure, but I could feel pulling, tugging and moving around down there. It was totally surreal. Luke and I just talked to each other as it was happening.
In the operating room, with the anesthesiologist:
Luke's view of the surgery:
After about 20 minutes, our little boy was out! He came out wailing and actually peed on the doctor on his way out. :) It was a moment I will never forget. I was overcome with emotion when I saw him and just couldn't believe he was finally here. Once he was out, the nurses took him to get cleaned up. Luke headed over to snap some pictures. They gave him a couple of shots, weighed him and then wrapped him up and handed him to Luke. Henry was a big boy, weighing 9 pounds, 3 ounces and measuring 19.5 inches long. Luke brought him over to me and we were able to spend some precious moments together as a family. It took the doctors about 40 minutes to stich and clean me up and then then transfered me to a hospital bed and rolled me back into the labor room.
Henry on his way out:
He is here!
Getting cleaned up:
Getting weighed:
Meeting my son:
First family photo:
We spent the next two hours in the labor room while the nurses ran a bunch of tests on me and Henry, which included taking our vital signs every 20 minutes or so. They also gave Henry his first bath and I was able to try breastfeeding. It was a bit crazy in recovery with all of the nurses buzzing around. But I was on some sort of high and just was so excited that Henry was finally here.
First bath:
Footprints!
Henry's stats:
After our two hours in the recovery room, we were transfered to a regular hospital room, where we stayed for the next couple of days. The night we were first transfered into the room, our families (parents and siblings) came to visit. It was so great to introduce Henry to the most special people in our lives. Everyone was so excited. It's the first grandchild for all of our parents and the first nephew for all of our siblings. Henry is so loved by so many people already.
So adorable!
The next couple of days in the hospital were just spent recovering. The nurses came in every hour or so to check the vital signs of me and Henry and everything looked great. We were so lucky to have awesome nurses. Every nurse was so helpful and kind and really put me and Luke at ease. Henry is very healthy and my recovery has been very smooth. Surprisingly, I didn't have much pain at all. I was on some pretty heavy duty main medication through my IV and was taking oral vicodin, so I was feeling pretty good. :) Since I wasn't able to be up moving around, Luke became an expert at swaddling and diaper changing. Henry and I tried to get the hang of breastfeeding in the hospital but had a little bit of a hard time. We later found out that Henry's chin is a little bit set back and I have short nipples (too much detail?) so we have been having to use a nipple shield, which makes it easier for him to latch on. Since we starting using the shield, Henry has been breastfeeding like a champ. Luke had to sleep on a terrible cot in the hospital room but I was loving the hospital bed. I could use the controls on the bed to adjust it exactly to my comfort and could even control the TV. I need one of those beds at home. :)
We came home on Wednesday, December 21st in the evening. It felt so nice to be home after the stay in the hospital. The biggest challenge since being home has been getting Henry to sleep at night. Every time we put Henry down to sleep on his back, he would wake up fussing and crying. The only way we could get him to sleep was to hold him. At first, Luke and I had to take shifts at night holding him so one of us could get some sleep. Finally, a couple of nights ago, we found the perfect combination of swaddling and white noise in order to get him to sleep for long stretches on his own. It was been glorious and we are hoping that it continues.
On our way home:
So far, we absolutely love being parents. Henry is such a sweet, easy baby and we feel incredibly blessed that he is so healthy. My favorite thing has been watching him smile in his sleep. Luke's favorite thing has been Henry trying to lift his head during a burping session (he looks like an adorable bobblehead). We had so many people tell us how difficult, exhausting and trying life was with a new baby and we haven't felt that at all. Sure, we have to deal with sleep deprivation, some frustration with crying and uncertainty as parents, but overall we just feel so full of joy and so blessed to have such a lovable son.
Thank you all for the nice emails, cards, notes and gifts to welcome Henry into the world. We feel so supported and loved and know that Henry has some very special people in his life. You are all so wonderful!
Some more fun pictures of our adorable baby boy:
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