6 days old
5 1/2 months old
Showing posts with label newborn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label newborn. Show all posts
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Hard to Believe
Hard to believe this is the same child. What a difference (almost) six months makes!
6 days old
5 1/2 months old
6 days old5 1/2 months old
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Sheets of Fury
The other night my mom stayed over to give Jason a good nights' rest and help me out throughout the night with diapers, rocking, etc. It was an incredibly explosive evening.
First, projectile vomiting. I mean, Ian would have made Linda Blair (The Exorcist) proud. It was all over the sheets and my pillow, not to mention my face! Blech. We put a towel over the vomit and I switched pillows. No way were we changing the sheets at 3am!
Then, after all three of us finally drifted off for a couple hours, my arm started feeling reeeeally warm. Yup, the baby had whizzed all over my arm and the vomitty sheets. Cue towel #2 over the peed part of the sheet.
Finally, the sun came up and I was nursing Ian for the 3rd time that night/early morning. He pooped, which is very common during a feeding. It's an input-output gastrointestinal type thing. So I thought nothing of it until I lifted him up to burp him and noticed that his poop had exploded out the top of his diaper, onto my pj pants and....yup, on the same nasty sheet.
My mom and I finally agreed it was time to wash the sheets. They had become quite the bio-hazard!
First, projectile vomiting. I mean, Ian would have made Linda Blair (The Exorcist) proud. It was all over the sheets and my pillow, not to mention my face! Blech. We put a towel over the vomit and I switched pillows. No way were we changing the sheets at 3am!
Then, after all three of us finally drifted off for a couple hours, my arm started feeling reeeeally warm. Yup, the baby had whizzed all over my arm and the vomitty sheets. Cue towel #2 over the peed part of the sheet.
Finally, the sun came up and I was nursing Ian for the 3rd time that night/early morning. He pooped, which is very common during a feeding. It's an input-output gastrointestinal type thing. So I thought nothing of it until I lifted him up to burp him and noticed that his poop had exploded out the top of his diaper, onto my pj pants and....yup, on the same nasty sheet.
My mom and I finally agreed it was time to wash the sheets. They had become quite the bio-hazard!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Miracle Octopus
Auntie Jen gave Ian a Baby Einstein octopus toy that plays music and tells colors in English, Spanish and French. Squeeze his head and he plays fun, carnival-style tunes; squeeze his tentacles and he tells the colors.
This octopus has become Ian's miracle distraction on the changing table. Before he can begin to fuss, I squeeze the head and Ian just stares and stares, allowing me to wipe, clean, airdry and diaper my little one with ease!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Cloth Diapers - Hurrah!
Jason and I are loving the cloth diapers we got Ian. His butt rash cleared right up when we switched to cloth yesterday afternoon and he's less fussy when he makes a boom-boom in the cloth as compared with the disposable.
And they really aren't that hard to clean up. We have a spray nozzle that attaches to the comode that we use to hose off the solid stuff. Then, we just dump the cloth diapers into the wash and presto! Super easy. And so much better for the environment and Ian's bum.
Right now he's asleep in the swing. That should last about 3 minutes.
And they really aren't that hard to clean up. We have a spray nozzle that attaches to the comode that we use to hose off the solid stuff. Then, we just dump the cloth diapers into the wash and presto! Super easy. And so much better for the environment and Ian's bum.
Right now he's asleep in the swing. That should last about 3 minutes.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Best News Ever
Confused about when to let Ian sleep through the night, I posted this in the La Leche League forum and also emailed Linda Worzer, the woman who taught our Bradley birth class:
"My month-old baby son is gaining weight well and I think our supply-demand relationship is getting very close to established. I no longer get way engorged at night and can go 4 hours at a time at night feeding him.So how do I know when I can go longer? Do I wait for him to wake us up to feed or do I continue to wake him every 3-4 hours?
His pediatrician said he can even go 5 hours w/o feeding at night, but he was thinking solely of his good weight-gain. What about my milk supply? I'm scared it will diminish. But if my lo is sleeping so soundly through what used to be a feeding, my instinct is to leave him alone and let his hunger pangs wake us up.
Help!! I'd love more sleep for all three of us, but I don't want to screw up my milk supply or his weight gain. btw - He feeds a ton during the day, about every 2 hours."
Here is Linda's response:
"He is mature enough to wake and let you know when he needs to eat. You can allow him to sleep as long as you wish at night. Many babies "cluster feed" (as you mentioned) during the day to ensure they receive all the calories and nutrients they need.
At 6 weeks of age, most babies experience a growth spurt during which they return to more frequent requests for feedings. After that, it's not uncommon for a baby to sleep longer at night and possibly to nap longer during the daytime.
Your milk supply is firmly established by three weeks postpartum, so no worries there.
Relax, enjoy, and get more sleep - before you know if, he'll be teething and waking frequently at night again ; )
P.S. My second child (who was exclusivey breastfed) slept consistently 12 hours at night from the age of three months and took one two hour nap in the daytime. She topped the growth charts in height and weight."
"My month-old baby son is gaining weight well and I think our supply-demand relationship is getting very close to established. I no longer get way engorged at night and can go 4 hours at a time at night feeding him.So how do I know when I can go longer? Do I wait for him to wake us up to feed or do I continue to wake him every 3-4 hours?
His pediatrician said he can even go 5 hours w/o feeding at night, but he was thinking solely of his good weight-gain. What about my milk supply? I'm scared it will diminish. But if my lo is sleeping so soundly through what used to be a feeding, my instinct is to leave him alone and let his hunger pangs wake us up.
Help!! I'd love more sleep for all three of us, but I don't want to screw up my milk supply or his weight gain. btw - He feeds a ton during the day, about every 2 hours."
Here is Linda's response:
"He is mature enough to wake and let you know when he needs to eat. You can allow him to sleep as long as you wish at night. Many babies "cluster feed" (as you mentioned) during the day to ensure they receive all the calories and nutrients they need.
At 6 weeks of age, most babies experience a growth spurt during which they return to more frequent requests for feedings. After that, it's not uncommon for a baby to sleep longer at night and possibly to nap longer during the daytime.
Your milk supply is firmly established by three weeks postpartum, so no worries there.
Relax, enjoy, and get more sleep - before you know if, he'll be teething and waking frequently at night again ; )
P.S. My second child (who was exclusivey breastfed) slept consistently 12 hours at night from the age of three months and took one two hour nap in the daytime. She topped the growth charts in height and weight."
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Beautiful Boy
I have never loved something like I love Ian. It's incredible. There is a bond that exists that I can't begin to explain.
When we're in the car or alone at home I like to sing to him. He really seems to like Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and John Lennon's "Beautiful Boy." I found this on You Tube:
When we're in the car or alone at home I like to sing to him. He really seems to like Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and John Lennon's "Beautiful Boy." I found this on You Tube:
Big Scare
Just now as I was showing Jason my new way of putting on a cloth diaper (we've been using a mix of disposable and cloth since last weekend). Ian was on the diaper table and J and I were standing over him. As he is wont to do, Ian threw up his strong, long arm and knocked over a tube of Aveeno butt cream right into his face. It toppled into his eye and he went ballistic. I was scare poopless since I didn't know if his eye-closing reflex was fast enough to protect his eyeball, or if the sharp end of the tube scratched his eye. He was so red and crying so hard that I was really freaked out. Jason, who was way more calm than me, took over and was able to calm Ian. Apparently he'd swallowed a lot of air with all the crying and Jason was able to burp him a few times and stop his crying.
THANK GOD. I was already imagining a baby eye patch and future blindness, etc. You know how it goes. Just the sight of seeing my son in pain and wailing was enough to just kill me. But he's better now and asleep in his father's arms. I'll keep an eye on his eye overnight and see where we're at tomorrow morning. I'm not 100% convinced all is well. We'll "see."
THANK GOD. I was already imagining a baby eye patch and future blindness, etc. You know how it goes. Just the sight of seeing my son in pain and wailing was enough to just kill me. But he's better now and asleep in his father's arms. I'll keep an eye on his eye overnight and see where we're at tomorrow morning. I'm not 100% convinced all is well. We'll "see."
Monday, February 2, 2009
Bathtime!
Footprints
At his 10-day visit last Tuesday, Ian got his footprints permanently added to the walls of the Birth & Women's Center. All babies born at the Center get their feet stamped along the borders of the doors, windows, and floors. It's so neat to see all the footprints when you walk through the Center.
We chose the upstairs birthing room where it all began. That's where I got my first dose of Cytotec and then Jason and I got a nice 2-hour rest in the bed while the drug did its job. Then our second dose there later that afternoon, and another couple's rest together in the bed. Bada bing bada boom - a handful of hours later and the contractions started!
Life with Ian continues to be a glorious challenge. I can't get enough of him and he can't get enough of me and my attention! I'm getting real used to these 3-hour maximum doses of sleep and have already forgotten what a full night's rest feels like. The human body has an incredible way of adapting to just about anything. I plan to begin pumping soon, so I'll be able to leave Ian with one of his grandmas, aunts, cousins, etc. overnight one day soon and get a full night's rest. Of course, if I go too long without nursing, my breasties get engorged and then I'm miserable. Perhaps I can get a full night's rest once Ian is weaned...in about a year!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
These Four Walls
Oh this feeding thing is hard. It's never-ending! I just have to remind myself that it's for the benefit of my new favorite person, and that once he's regained his birth weight and then some, it will get a lot easier and less frequent. But until then, I'm stuck feeding every 3 hours, 24 hours a day. I'm not complaining, really (maybe just a little). This is my job and I'm happy to do it.
My, I've spent a lot of time in this bedroom. Both during my pregnancy and now, this room has become my domain. This bed, the TV, the windows and sunlight pouring in. It's a good thing my personality is that of someone who likes to spend time alone. Whenever I feel stressed, I just pick up my little angel and hold him and smell the top of his head. It's a beautiful reminder that this new job of mine is totally worth it. It just takes some adjusting.
He just did the funniest thing: Sometimes when I put him down he's fine for a few minutes. Then, I'll see a freak-out coming on so I scoop him up and give him hugs and kisses. He tends to wring his hands and punch the air when he's agitated. Just now as I was calming him down, he folded his hands together, fingers locked as if doing the game "Here's the church, here's the steeple..." What coordination!
My, I've spent a lot of time in this bedroom. Both during my pregnancy and now, this room has become my domain. This bed, the TV, the windows and sunlight pouring in. It's a good thing my personality is that of someone who likes to spend time alone. Whenever I feel stressed, I just pick up my little angel and hold him and smell the top of his head. It's a beautiful reminder that this new job of mine is totally worth it. It just takes some adjusting.
He just did the funniest thing: Sometimes when I put him down he's fine for a few minutes. Then, I'll see a freak-out coming on so I scoop him up and give him hugs and kisses. He tends to wring his hands and punch the air when he's agitated. Just now as I was calming him down, he folded his hands together, fingers locked as if doing the game "Here's the church, here's the steeple..." What coordination!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
My Mission: Feed, Feed, Feed
Jason and I took Ian to his 10-day visit at the Center and he weighed in at 8lbs 7oz. The weight loss is normal and Cherie was happy with that but would like to see him get up to his birth weight very soon. That, she said, will keep him from crying all night long.
Apparently the little guy is hungry and I haven't been giving him enough. Well, I thought I had since I let him nurse until he either pulls away for good or falls asleep at the nip. But my mistake was feeding him from one breast per feeding. My new regimen is to nurse him 10 minutes on one boob, then burp him and let him finish up on the other one. He needs milk fat from both breasts in order to gain his weight back, and then some. I didn't know that! So now we have some making up to do. In fact, it's time for Ian to get his nom-noms on pretty soon here...it's neverending!
Apparently the little guy is hungry and I haven't been giving him enough. Well, I thought I had since I let him nurse until he either pulls away for good or falls asleep at the nip. But my mistake was feeding him from one breast per feeding. My new regimen is to nurse him 10 minutes on one boob, then burp him and let him finish up on the other one. He needs milk fat from both breasts in order to gain his weight back, and then some. I didn't know that! So now we have some making up to do. In fact, it's time for Ian to get his nom-noms on pretty soon here...it's neverending!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Songs for Ian
When He's Crying
"Smoke on the Water" Deep Purple
"You Got It" Roy Orbison
When We're Hanging Out
"This Charming Man" The Smiths
The Golden Girls theme
When We're Exercising
"Let's Get Physical" Olivia Newton-John
"Brick House" The Commodores
"Smoke on the Water" Deep Purple
"You Got It" Roy Orbison
When We're Hanging Out
"This Charming Man" The Smiths
The Golden Girls theme
When We're Exercising
"Let's Get Physical" Olivia Newton-John
"Brick House" The Commodores
New Developments
We are so proud of Ian. In the 9 days that we've had him, he has already grown in leaps and bounds. He no longer cries when we diaper change him, and he's nursing magnificently. He feeds for about the same amount of time (30 minutes) and just about the same space of time in between (3 hours).
His neck muscles are really strengthening, his arms and legs are wiggling about like crazy, and the rest of his body seems to be catching up with his monstrously large hands.
Last night the colic tried to get ahold of him, but I managed to get him to calm down in about 45 minutes and we slept for a couple of hours until I woke us both up for a feeding. It was nice to let Jason sleep the night through and Ian cooperated perfectly. After the 3-4am feeding, he went right back to bed and slept until 7am. To ensure this keeps up, I'm hitting the aisles at Babies R Us to buy a Swaddleme and Colic Massage Pad. Let's hope these help!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Adios Stump!
That smelly little nubbin known as the umbilical cord stump finally dried up and fell off yesterday (Saturday). It was great that it only took 7 days to come off since everything we heard and read said it would take about 10-15 days. The thing was sooooo stinky and it made it hard to get cuddly-cuddly with Ian.
We saved it in a baggie and gave it to my mom who is going to keep it until someone is able to toss it into the ocean. You heard me right. The ocean. Apparently it's a tradition in the Barreto-Cubides family. The superstition goes that tossing the stump into the ocean ensures a lifetime of good health. Mami tells me Lita (my abuela) tossed mine into the sea. Whatever it takes to make sure Ian lives a long healthy life, right?
We saved it in a baggie and gave it to my mom who is going to keep it until someone is able to toss it into the ocean. You heard me right. The ocean. Apparently it's a tradition in the Barreto-Cubides family. The superstition goes that tossing the stump into the ocean ensures a lifetime of good health. Mami tells me Lita (my abuela) tossed mine into the sea. Whatever it takes to make sure Ian lives a long healthy life, right?
Saturday, January 24, 2009
A Trip Outdoors
On Tuesday morning we went to the Center for a breastfeeding consultation with Beverly. When I called they did not hesitate to tell us to come in anytime for help. There was no appointment, no payment, none of that. Such a wonderful place.
Once there, Beverly got straight to work showing me how to get my nipple back into his mouth so he could suckle. She got me all set up with pillows and water and stayed there for an entire feeding. What a relief to watch him feed for a good half hour! In between the feeding session, Jason changed Ian's diaper and we all got to witness Ian's first "spray." Urine everywhere. It was pretty cute.
After watching Ian feed for awhile, Beverly determined that my nipples were not long enough to reach his soft palate so she suggested a product called a nipple shield. She was so confident it would be the answer to our struggles, and we could not have been more pleased and relieved. We went to Babies R Us straight away and once we got home and opened the packaged we realized we'd gotten a size too big. Crikey! I was devastated.
Enter Grandma Pat (aka Mimi), our savior! She came to our rescue that night and brought over the correct size nipple shield and dinner - delicious roast chicken, fresh bread, and veggies. Sooooo yummy. The nipple shield was an instant hit and Ian's been feeding like a maniac ever since. My nipples are so very ouchie as they acclimate to the reshaping wonder of the shield, but it's a small price to pay to watch my little one get the nourishment he needs. I guess the "Martyr Mom" thing starts early!
Rewind a bit: Jason took Ian for his first Well Baby visit that afternoon while I stayed home and enjoyed a long, quiet nap. Ahhhh. Jason reported that the visit went really well. Dr. Curry was so pleased with Ian's color, reactions, alertness, strength, and um, large thingie-thing. In fact, he was surprised at how endowed our little man is! He did want to see Ian gain more weight and Jason explained how we've been having difficulty feeding him but that we'd gotten some help earlier that day and were hopeful he would begin eating well.
We were right! He began feeding anywhere from 30 minutes to one+ hour at a time with an average of two hours in between feedings. Incredible!
Once there, Beverly got straight to work showing me how to get my nipple back into his mouth so he could suckle. She got me all set up with pillows and water and stayed there for an entire feeding. What a relief to watch him feed for a good half hour! In between the feeding session, Jason changed Ian's diaper and we all got to witness Ian's first "spray." Urine everywhere. It was pretty cute.
After watching Ian feed for awhile, Beverly determined that my nipples were not long enough to reach his soft palate so she suggested a product called a nipple shield. She was so confident it would be the answer to our struggles, and we could not have been more pleased and relieved. We went to Babies R Us straight away and once we got home and opened the packaged we realized we'd gotten a size too big. Crikey! I was devastated.
Enter Grandma Pat (aka Mimi), our savior! She came to our rescue that night and brought over the correct size nipple shield and dinner - delicious roast chicken, fresh bread, and veggies. Sooooo yummy. The nipple shield was an instant hit and Ian's been feeding like a maniac ever since. My nipples are so very ouchie as they acclimate to the reshaping wonder of the shield, but it's a small price to pay to watch my little one get the nourishment he needs. I guess the "Martyr Mom" thing starts early!
Rewind a bit: Jason took Ian for his first Well Baby visit that afternoon while I stayed home and enjoyed a long, quiet nap. Ahhhh. Jason reported that the visit went really well. Dr. Curry was so pleased with Ian's color, reactions, alertness, strength, and um, large thingie-thing. In fact, he was surprised at how endowed our little man is! He did want to see Ian gain more weight and Jason explained how we've been having difficulty feeding him but that we'd gotten some help earlier that day and were hopeful he would begin eating well.
We were right! He began feeding anywhere from 30 minutes to one+ hour at a time with an average of two hours in between feedings. Incredible!
Shame Spiral and Desperation
In the wee hours of Monday night/Tuesday morning Jason and I nearly lost it. Ian had been crying for 3 hours straight and was beginning to go hoarse. We were so worried since he had not eaten in over a day. Sure, he'd gotten a few drops here and there but nothing substantial.
By 3am we were so weary. Sitting together on the bed with a beet-red Ian we looked at each other and I uttered that F word: "Formula?"
Luckily, we were in instant agreement. Until I could get some help with breastfeeding, we were going to do whatever it took to feed our little guy.
(I was also extrememly miserable since my milk had come in several hours earlier and I was so engorged I thought my breasts would explode. Milk was literally leaking out in teaspoonfuls and there was nothing I could do about it since Ian wasn't taking any of it. I even tried to suck up the puddles of milk with a dropper and feeding him that way, but all it did was give him gas!)
So at a desperate 3am Jason headed to 7-11 to get some formula and I head straight to the kitchen to boil bottles and nipples. Once the bottle was prepared, Jason gave it to Ian and instant success! Ian drank and drank and drank, then slipped into a blissful sleep. We were so relieved and all feelings of shame and fear that we did the wrong thing disappeared. Still, we were insistent on getting breastfeeding help, but first: Sleep!
By 3am we were so weary. Sitting together on the bed with a beet-red Ian we looked at each other and I uttered that F word: "Formula?"
Luckily, we were in instant agreement. Until I could get some help with breastfeeding, we were going to do whatever it took to feed our little guy.
(I was also extrememly miserable since my milk had come in several hours earlier and I was so engorged I thought my breasts would explode. Milk was literally leaking out in teaspoonfuls and there was nothing I could do about it since Ian wasn't taking any of it. I even tried to suck up the puddles of milk with a dropper and feeding him that way, but all it did was give him gas!)
So at a desperate 3am Jason headed to 7-11 to get some formula and I head straight to the kitchen to boil bottles and nipples. Once the bottle was prepared, Jason gave it to Ian and instant success! Ian drank and drank and drank, then slipped into a blissful sleep. We were so relieved and all feelings of shame and fear that we did the wrong thing disappeared. Still, we were insistent on getting breastfeeding help, but first: Sleep!
The First Days Home
The first few days back home are a total blur for me. I was on strict bed rest so what I do recall is being pampered like a queen by Jason. He was so attentive and never once hesitated to bring me what I needed or wanted, fixing me food, keeping me hydrated and doing all of the diaper changes.
Breastfeeding was very difficult at first. Ian was so fussy and would not take the nipple. After awhile I became so frustrated and finally broke down crying. Ian wouldn't feed for longer than 5 minutes at a time and we were so worried he wasn't getting what he needed.
Cherie did a home visit on Sunday and showed us some breastfeeding basics that I was doing wrong - mainly the position of the head. That helped a little but still we had trouble. More on this later...
During her visit she was pleased to see that his color was healthy, and that overall he was a perfect little baby! She asked about my recovery, mainly the swelling in my genital and bum-bum area, and determined an examination wasn't necessary. Let me tell you, I never knew I could swell up so much! I won't elaborate too much, but needless to say, I felt a little like the Elephant Man down in my nether region. Luckily I suffered no tears or hemmorhoids, which the Center staff could not believe. I tell you, my body was meant to birth Ian!
Other memories of those early days are visits from family members and lots and lots of food being brought to us. That was SUCH a relief and could not have been a more perfect gift. We have been eating like royalty all week long!
All in all, Ian slept quite a bit those first few days and continues to begin his crying sessions around midnight until about 2am. We're getting used to it!
Breastfeeding was very difficult at first. Ian was so fussy and would not take the nipple. After awhile I became so frustrated and finally broke down crying. Ian wouldn't feed for longer than 5 minutes at a time and we were so worried he wasn't getting what he needed.
Cherie did a home visit on Sunday and showed us some breastfeeding basics that I was doing wrong - mainly the position of the head. That helped a little but still we had trouble. More on this later...
During her visit she was pleased to see that his color was healthy, and that overall he was a perfect little baby! She asked about my recovery, mainly the swelling in my genital and bum-bum area, and determined an examination wasn't necessary. Let me tell you, I never knew I could swell up so much! I won't elaborate too much, but needless to say, I felt a little like the Elephant Man down in my nether region. Luckily I suffered no tears or hemmorhoids, which the Center staff could not believe. I tell you, my body was meant to birth Ian!
Other memories of those early days are visits from family members and lots and lots of food being brought to us. That was SUCH a relief and could not have been a more perfect gift. We have been eating like royalty all week long!
All in all, Ian slept quite a bit those first few days and continues to begin his crying sessions around midnight until about 2am. We're getting used to it!
A Letter to the Loved Ones
sent on 1/19/09 to friends and family
Hello dear friends and family:
Ian Alejandro Hindall-Wright entered this world on Saturday, January 17th at 1:57am. He weighed in at a whopping 9lbs 2oz and measured 21 inches long. I am still so completely stunned that I gave birth.
Labor was IN-TENSE. My body decided to skip the entire "early" labor stage where things sort of progress little by little to the hard stuff. No, I hit the ground running with the super hard contractions around 10:30pm, dilated to 7 inches by midnight, and pushed the big guy out 2 hours later. Overall- 3 1/2 hours of hard labor. I never begged and bargained for mercy more in my life. Crazy animal sounds came out of me and scared my family who stood vigil in the waiting room at the Center. Still, I wouldn't have done it any other way.
Altho it was a completely natural childbirth, I was given a labor inducer the day before called Cytotec. I was already a week and a day late, and the midwives at the Center don't fool around with late term babies. My cervix had not "ripened" at all and they determined that my body just would not go into labor on its own. Had I waited I would have put little Ian at risk and would have most likely ended with a Cesarean. So I took the Cytotec the day before (Friday) and hoped all would go well. By the time labor began, the drug had already worn off and done its job.
We headed home by 11am that morning after some amazing after-care at the Center. Recovery has been great and I credit it all to the absence of drugs and other medical intervention. However, I hemorraged right after birth so I did get some medical treatments post partem to stop the bleeding (pitosin both as IV and injection). It worked after 2 dosages and apparently all the blood scared the begeezus out of Jason and the others who happened to be there when it happened. It was pretty brutal but I was lucky and didn't have to go to the hospital.
The licesned nurse midwives and staff at the Birth Center were completely amazing. Professional, experienced, and so nurturing. It was an incredibly beautiful experience. Would I do it again? Um, ask me later. But if I HAD to do it again, I wouldn't do it any other way!
Being at home with the little guy is just heaven for me and Jason. We are enjoying (almost) every minute and are grateful that Ian is a good sleeper. (Let's see how long that lasts!) He's picking up his nursing skills and starting to eat well. He will go for his first pediatrician Well Baby visit tomorrow morning (Monday) with Pops. I'm on strict bed rest until Tuesday morning at the earliest, then house rest until at least the end of the week.One of the midwives made a home visit today and examined Ian. She said he looked super - healthy and no jaudice at all (which apparently is pretty common right after birth). She gave us some pointers on nursing and told us how proud she was of us.
As for visitations, we are doing them little by little throughout the week. I will be returning calls personally very soon and want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for all the emails, calls and messages. None have gone unnoticed and rest assured that I've cherished each one.
Lots of Love,
Stephanie
P.S. Some of you already got these updates from my cousin, to whom we are so grateful for being our Call Tree Guru. Thanks Jenn!
Hello dear friends and family:
Ian Alejandro Hindall-Wright entered this world on Saturday, January 17th at 1:57am. He weighed in at a whopping 9lbs 2oz and measured 21 inches long. I am still so completely stunned that I gave birth.
Labor was IN-TENSE. My body decided to skip the entire "early" labor stage where things sort of progress little by little to the hard stuff. No, I hit the ground running with the super hard contractions around 10:30pm, dilated to 7 inches by midnight, and pushed the big guy out 2 hours later. Overall- 3 1/2 hours of hard labor. I never begged and bargained for mercy more in my life. Crazy animal sounds came out of me and scared my family who stood vigil in the waiting room at the Center. Still, I wouldn't have done it any other way.
Altho it was a completely natural childbirth, I was given a labor inducer the day before called Cytotec. I was already a week and a day late, and the midwives at the Center don't fool around with late term babies. My cervix had not "ripened" at all and they determined that my body just would not go into labor on its own. Had I waited I would have put little Ian at risk and would have most likely ended with a Cesarean. So I took the Cytotec the day before (Friday) and hoped all would go well. By the time labor began, the drug had already worn off and done its job.
We headed home by 11am that morning after some amazing after-care at the Center. Recovery has been great and I credit it all to the absence of drugs and other medical intervention. However, I hemorraged right after birth so I did get some medical treatments post partem to stop the bleeding (pitosin both as IV and injection). It worked after 2 dosages and apparently all the blood scared the begeezus out of Jason and the others who happened to be there when it happened. It was pretty brutal but I was lucky and didn't have to go to the hospital.
The licesned nurse midwives and staff at the Birth Center were completely amazing. Professional, experienced, and so nurturing. It was an incredibly beautiful experience. Would I do it again? Um, ask me later. But if I HAD to do it again, I wouldn't do it any other way!
Being at home with the little guy is just heaven for me and Jason. We are enjoying (almost) every minute and are grateful that Ian is a good sleeper. (Let's see how long that lasts!) He's picking up his nursing skills and starting to eat well. He will go for his first pediatrician Well Baby visit tomorrow morning (Monday) with Pops. I'm on strict bed rest until Tuesday morning at the earliest, then house rest until at least the end of the week.One of the midwives made a home visit today and examined Ian. She said he looked super - healthy and no jaudice at all (which apparently is pretty common right after birth). She gave us some pointers on nursing and told us how proud she was of us.
As for visitations, we are doing them little by little throughout the week. I will be returning calls personally very soon and want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for all the emails, calls and messages. None have gone unnoticed and rest assured that I've cherished each one.
Lots of Love,
Stephanie
P.S. Some of you already got these updates from my cousin, to whom we are so grateful for being our Call Tree Guru. Thanks Jenn!
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