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:

38 Weeks!

Sorry - I am again posting a few days late. On Wednesday, our little Henry hit the 38 week mark and is now in his final week! Since we will be having our c-section on Monday, he will be 38 weeks and 5 days when he is born. The last bits of vernix caseosa (the white goo keeping his skin moist) and lanugo (downy hair) are slowly shedding into the amniotic fluid. Henry's head is about the same circumference as his abdomen and his head could be covered in an inch or so of hair.

I am SO incredibly excited that we get to meet our son on Monday. I am a little nervous, especially with the c-section, but overall I am mostly just excited to meet him. Only 3 days to go!

I took some pictures of the finalized baby nook today. We are all set and ready for his arrival!

The full nook:



The rocking chair:



The crib:







Luke plays on a wiffleball team and all of the guys signed a baseball for little Henry. Such a special gift:



Luke's team wiffleball jersey, made into a onesie:



38 Week Bump Picture:



Thank you all for your prayers, emails, texts and phone calls about Penny. She is still hanging in there but probably only has a couple of days left with us. Keep those prayers coming. We can feel them!

Circle of Life

While this is an incredibly happy time for Luke and I as we look forward to the birth of our son (one week from today!), I am also overcome with sadness as we are about to say goodbye to someone very special, my step-mom Penny.

Penny has been battling ovarian cancer for over two years now and she has been quite the fighter. It has been amazing to see how she has handled this situation with so much grace and fortitude. She is now in her final days with us and we appreciate your thoughts and prayers for peace for Penny and strength for our family.

For updates on how Penny is doing, you can click here to read Penny's blog that my aunt Kathleen (Penny's sister) has been updating.

37 Weeks - Full-Term!

Yesterday Henry officially became considered full-term! He could potentially come at any day and be completely healthy. I feel so thankful that we have reached this milestone.

We found out at our doctor's appointment yesterday that Henry is still breech. We declined the version procedure, so we have been scheduled for a c-section on Monday, December 19th at 4:00 PM! We are so excited we can hardly stand it. It's so exciting to know that we will get to meet our son on that day and we are thrilled that we will be home together as a family by Christmas.

Luke and I have kicked ourselves in the pants regarding our to-do list. We are determined to have everything done by the 19th. It's a long list, but I am hopeful! :)

Henry is now the size of a watermelon! Our now full-term (yay!) baby is gaining about 1/2 ounce a day and getting his first sticky poop (called meconium) ready. He's also brushing up on skills for the outside world: blinking, sucking, inhaling, exhaling, and gripping (he's getting strong!).



37 Week Bump Picture:

Kidney Infection Update

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for my infection and for Henry. I am happy to report that I am feeling much better after my kidney infection. I will wrap up my round of antibiotics tomorrow and I am no longer needing to take any Tylenol for the pain.

I have faithfully been doing my at-home exercises to try to get Henry to flip on his own. But from what I can tell, it's been unsuccessful. I don't feel like he has flipped and I am feeling all of the same movements and pressure as before. If he hasn't flipped by Wednesday, Luke and I have decided not to pursue the version procedure and plan to schedule our c-section for Wednesday, December 21st. We will find out more at our doctor appointment this Wednesday.

Thank you again for sending positive thoughts our way! We are looking forward to meeting our little one in just two short weeks!

36 Weeks!

Sorry, I am posting a day late. Yesterday we reached 36 weeks! Henry is still the size of a honeydew. His skin is getting smooth and soft, his gums are rigid, his liver and kidneys are in working order, and his circulation and immune system are basically good to go. His lungs are the only organs that still need to fully mature, but every day he gets a little closer to breathing on his own. Next week we will officially be full term! And since today is December 1st, I will hopefully be getting to meet my son THIS MONTH!

The last 48 hours have been quite the whirlwind. On Monday night, I started getting some lower back pain. I didn't think much of it, just thought my back was sore from pregnancy. Around 2:00 AM on Tuesday morning, I woke up with really intense pain in my back and sides. I knew that back pain could be a sign of labor, so I went out into the living room to try to focus and see if I was having contractions. But instead of the pain coming and going in waves like contractions, it was just getting steadily more intense. It felt exactly like the pain I had about a year ago from a kidney infection. Around 5:00 AM, I couldn't stand the pain any longer and I decided to call labor and delivery. When I called, they asked me to come in. So I woke up Luke and we headed to the hospital.

When I arrived, they checked us into Triage and had me change into a hospital gown. They took a urine sample, which they sent for urinalysis. They also took a blood sample. Then they had me get into a bed and they hooked me up to two monitors, one to monitor the baby's heartbeat and one to monitor my contractions. The monitors revealed that Henry's heartbeat was totally normal but I was having steady contractions about 5-6 minutes apart, lasting about a minute. The contractions weren't painful but were pretty constant. The nurse checked my cervix and I was 1 centimeter dilated but 0% effaced.

After about an hour of monitoring, they sent me to another part of the hospital for an ultrasound of my bladder and kidneys to check for kidney stones. Thankfully, the ultrasound showed that I didn't have kidney stones. However, during the ultrasound, they discovered that little Henry is in the Frank Breech position, which means his head and feet are up by my ribs and his bottom is down by my cervix. A picture of his position is below:



After the ultrasound, we were taken back to labor and delivery for more monitoring. By this time, I was completely exhausted. The nurse called my doctor with the results of the urinalysis, blood test and ultrasound. It turns out that I had a very high white blood cell count and blood in my urine, indicating a urinary tract and kidney infection. They monitored me for another hour and since I was still having contractions, they gave me a shot of Terbutaline to stop by contractions. The shot worked instantly, stopping my contractions but made me feel very woozy. My heart started racing and I felt really dizzy. Luke went and got me some crackers, which seemed to help a little bit.

After the shot, I was finally able to go home with a prescription for antibiotics for the kidney infection. We got back home around noon. Since I am pregnant, I am only able to take normal dosages of Tylenol for the pain, which is nowhere near enough. On Tuesday afternoon/evening, I was in a lot of pain. Every moment I made brought tears to my eyes. Thankfully, I am slowly but surely starting to feel better.

Yesterday afternoon, I had one of my regular doctor appointments. We talked about Henry's breech position and what it meant for his delivery. Unfortunately, it's not safe to delivery Henry vaginally in a breech position. Since he would be coming out butt first, it's possible that his head could get stuck in the birth canal, causing serious complications. My doctor gave me some exercises to do at home this week to try to get Henry to flip around on his own. If he doesn’t flip on his own, the doctor has offered to try a “version” at my appointment next week, which is to try to flip Henry manually by pushing on my stomach and rotating him. From what I have heard, a version can be very painful and isn’t very successful. My doctor told me that with Henry’s position and the fact that I am a first time mom (which means I don’t have a very flexible uterus), there is only a 30% chance that a version would actually work. There are also many risks involved in a version, including the possibility of fetal distress, the procedure breaking my water, the cord getting wrapped around the baby’s neck and more. All of which could result in an emergency C-section at only 37 weeks gestation. The version is optional and at this point I am leaning towards not having the procedure done. It just seems too risky for only a 30% chance of success.

If Henry is still breech next week and we elect to not have the version done, we will most likely need to schedule a C-section, which my doctor said could be done as soon as December 21st. While a C-section certainly isn’t ideal, I am really not heartbroken about not being able to have a vaginal delivery. Everything happens for a reason.

At this point, I am just trying to recover from the kidney infection and focus on my exercises to try to get Henry to flip on his own. But it’s pretty exciting to think that I will most likely be meeting my son in less than 3 weeks! I can’t wait!

36 Week Bump Picture: