A Blessing

Yesterday was the day I had been looking forward to since our little angel was born. It was the first day we stuck to a schedule! We are finally getting into our new "normal." Wednesday was the first day Aiden slept in his crib for every nap and throughout the night! Up until this point, Forrest and I had been sleeping in the living room on our air mattress. It was easier that way because Aiden started sleeping through the night early on extremely well in the swing and/or bassinet. Since Forrest and I NEVER sleep apart he was determined that sleeping in the living room together would give both of us both the maximum amount of sleep in the early weeks.

For the past two weeks I have been itching to get back into our bedroom and transition little man to the crib. I tried it a few times but it was not happening. Aiden was not ready! After doing tummy time 2 times a day for 3.5 weeks, I knew he was getting close! Baby AJ was getting to where he would roll from his stomach to his side. I had prayed a lot about doing the right thing at the right time for my son. I had a confidence sent from the Lord that Wednesday was THE DAY! I stuck to a semi-strict 3 hr schedule. Aiden took a 45 min early morning nap in his crib. I felt great about that! That's his normal for the swing. Next came the mid morning nap...that one did not go so well! He would sleep for 20-25 minutes then wake up screaming. Everytime I went into his room and picked him up and got him back to sleep (which only took 2-3 minutes). This went on for an hour! I was a little drained but knew I wanted to stick to it! His afternoon nap was a different story. It was a God Send!!! He napped for a solid 2 hours without me having to go in his room. The night went pretty well. We bathed him at 7:30, I fed him at 8:00 and put him down at 8:30. He woke up to eat at 12:30 am (which we were still up for), 3:30 am and 7:30 am! I know he didn't sleep through the  night but it went a lot better than I expected! I honestly thought I was going to be up all night with him. Instead I got up once with him and snuggled with my Baby Daddy the rest of the night : )      

I feel like I'm just now getting into my groove. I'm finally having dinner on the table when Forrest comes home. I'm finally getting dressed with teeth brushed by the time Forrest comes home rather than looking the a homeless milk cow at 6 o'clock. I can't imagine being in any other place in life than I am right now!

I love my Lord for blessing me such an amazing son and spouse!

I love my Husband for wanting me to stay home with our son!

I love my sweet son for being my pride and joy!        

 

3 Weeks Old

Weight: 

We haven't been back to the pediatrician for weight checks but I can feel him gaining weight. Little piggy has quite the appetite these days and is developing some major chubby cheeks!

Health:
I'm still giving Aiden saline drops most every night. I've started using the humidifier too. 

Aiden's umbilical cord has still not fallen off. 

Eyes: Blue 

Activities: 
Swinging, rocking, being outside, going on walks in his stroller, tummy time

Sleep: 

Aiden eats every 2.5-3 hours during the day and roughly every 5-6 at night. During the night, he sleeps solid in between night time feedings in his bassinet or swing. I've tried to transition him into the crib but no such luck. He hates laying flat on his back. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! 

This week he quit taking those nice, long naps during the day. He will sleep 30 minutes and be up until his next feeding. He usually isn't too fussy. 

Diet: 

Liquid Gold: Breast milk  

Clothes: 

Newborn.

Diapers: 
Pampers Swaddlers Size 1's 

 Crying: 

He still does not like his diaper changed and will let me know when he's hungry! Now that we are getting out and taking walks in the evening, he's not fussy at all!

Likes:
Looking at faces while "talking", Being Cuddled, Walks in the Stroller, Being Outside, Looking at Ceiling Fans 

Dislikes: 
Diaper Changes, Flash on my Camera 

Milestones: 

My baby boy has gotten so strong! I can not believe how well he controls his bed. 

Misc: 

Aiden had a mild case of baby acne that popped up on May 10. After a few days, it pretty much went away. 

He started pulling my hair and clothes on my shoulder when I burp him.

I ate Beef O Brady's curly fries on 5/15 and he cried for several hours. No more fries for me :( 

Outside time will ALWAYS solve crying!

He loves his swing!

2 Weeks Old

Weight: 
At Aiden's last dr's appt (Monday, May 6th) he was 7 lbs 13 oz. I'm relieved  to see that he gained so much weight. Our pediatrician told us the average weight gain for newborns his age is 1 oz per day. Aiden gained close to 2 oz per day! At least I'm doing something right : )

Health:
Aiden's congestion is SO much better! It's only bad at night. We are giving him saline drops to help his nose stay clear.  

His breathing is still a little sporadic (he will breathe very rapid then slow). Dr. Friedmeyer said it is completely normal especially for C Section babies and should be gone by 4 weeks old.     

Our Little Man's circumcision is completely healed. 

His jaundice is completely gone but we are still doing 5 minutes of naked outside time on his front and back two times a day for Vitamin D. (Vitamin D doesn't pass through breast milk)  
I've started giving Aiden tummy drops in the evenings because his gas usually gets bad around that time. They really seem to help!

Eyes: Blue 

Activities: 
Swinging, rocking, being outside, going on walks in his stroller (where he always falls asleep), tummy time

His favorite activity this week is laying down with his back on the boppy on his tummy time mat.   

Sleep: 
Aiden eats every 2.5-3 hours during the day and roughly every 4 at night. During the night, he sleeps solid in between night time feedings in his bassinet. He's starting roughly following the eat, play, sleep cycle. We had a rough few nights because I tried to make him sleep in his crib. Since then we have learned that he does NOT like to be laying flat on his back. I asked Dr. Friedmeyer if I needed to stick to my guns. His reply was "Pick your battles and this is not one you want to fight right now." I'm going to try it again at 6 weeks.   

Diet: 
Liquid Gold: Breast milk 100% of the time : ) I'm pumping and giving Aiden roughly 2.5-3.5 ounces of breast milk every 3-4 hours. 

Clothes: 

Newborn.

Diapers: 
Pampers Swaddlers Size 1's 

Crying: 
He still does not like his diaper changed! He has also developed a "fussy time" from 6-8pmish. 

Likes:
Looking at faces while "talking", Being Cuddled, Walks in the Stroller, Being Outside, Looking at Ceiling Fans 

Dislikes: 
Tummy Time, Diaper Changes, Flash on my Camera 

Milestones: 

He's lifting his head up all by himself but once he gets it up he doesn't have control left to right. 

The night of May 8th was a big one for us. He had a lot of awake time during the day so we had a great night! Forrest put him down at 11 pm. Aiden woke up at 3 am, 6:45 am, 10:30 am to eat and slept solid in between all those feedings : ) 

Schedule:

7:30 am pump & then feeding

8:00 am-10:30 am nap in his bassinet (I've been sleeping until 10 then pumping before he wakes up)

10:30 am pump & then feeding  

11:00 am-11:45 am tummy time & playing on his playmat

1:30 pm pump & then feeding

2:00 pm- 4:30 pm Nap in swing 

4:30 pm pump & then feeding

5:00 pm-6:30 pm This is typically Aiden's fussy time if he's gassy. He will cat nap usually in someones arms and/or we will go on a short family walk. (We'll see how this goes since I'll be flying solo from her on out) 

6:30 pm pump & then feeding 

7:00 pm Eat Dinner

7:00 pm-8:00 pm Forrest and I have been having our "date night" on the porch while Aiden sleeps in his bassinet. Sometimes he wakes up and joins us on the porch around 7:45.  

8:30 pm Feeding 

9:00 pm-12:30 am Sound asleep

12:30 am Feeding 

1:00 am- 3:30 am Sound asleep 

3:30 am Feeding 

Start all over again : )

Misc: 

Lexi is still very tentative with Aiden. If anyone other than me or Forrest pick up Aiden Lexi will follow them and make sure everything is ok. 

So far we have a non spitter :)

After every feeding, I try to keep Aiden elevated for about 15 minutes. (usually I pump during this time and sit him next to me on the boppy)

Postpartum: 
My C Section is healing great! At my last OB appt, my staples were removed and butterfly stitches were placed on the incision. They fell off Monday and Tuesday. I can barely see the incision line. It is teeny tiny! 

I developed contact dermatitis from the sheets at the hospital. My back is better but it has now spread to the front part of my stomach. Ever since I got pregnant my skin has been very sensitive! I'm ready for it to go back to my "old normal."

I'm down 20 lbs : )

I started taking Fenugreek and it has really increased my milk supply. 

1 Week Old

Weight: At his last dr's appt (Monday, April 29) he was 6 lbs 14 oz

Health: He has a little bit of congestion in the evenings. He has also developed a slight diaper rash so I switched to Pampers Sensitive wipes. 

Eyes: Blue 

Activities: Swinging, rocking, being outside, going on walks in his stroller (where he always falls asleep), tummy time  

Sleep: Aiden eats every 2-3 hours during the day and roughly every 4 at night. During the night, he sleeps solid in between night time feedings in his crib. He's starting roughly following the eat, play, sleep cycle.  

Diet: Liquid Gold: Breastmilk : ) 

Clothes: Newborn.

Diapers: We moved to Pampers Swaddlers Size 1's today.  

Crying: He does not like getting his diaper changed! He screams every single time I change him!

Likes: Being Cuddled, Walks in the Stroller, Being Outside, Looking at Ceiling Fans 

Dislikes: Tummy Time, Diaper Changes, Flash on my Camera 

Milestones: He's lifting his head up all by himself but once he gets it up he doesn't have control left to right. 

Misc: Lexi is doing great with Aiden. She never gets up on me when I'm holding him and  is always very distant around him!

Postpartum: I'm feeling great! The Lord has really blessed my recovery. It's crazy to me to think I had a C Section a week ago and am back to somewhat of a normal routine. I'm still not carrying Aiden up the stairs though. I'm done to 1 pain pill at most a day! Thank goodness. We're slowly walking once a day for around 20 minutes. I'm usually pretty tired when I get back but it's worth it! I'm down around 12 lbs from delivery day. I've got a ways to go but am just going to take it slow and focus on enjoying my little one.   

Aiden at Birth

Weight: At birth he was 7 lbs 13 oz

Health: He had a few breathing problems at first that were quickly resolved.

Sleep: Since he was given formula (through a tube) in the nursery to help his breathing, he was not very hungry at first. He slept pretty much the entire first day. 

Social:  He had lots of visitors while in the hospital and we loved seeing each and every one of them!

Diet: Other than the formula after birth, he was strictly on breastmilk.

Clothes: Newborn.

Diapers: Newborn. I tried Huggies because I had a few given to us and I had to stop. Somehow Aiden would pee through them every single time! Ever since I switched to Pampers there hasn't been anymore leaking! 

Crying: He only cried in the hospital while getting his diaper changed.  He did however fuss about his circumcision for at least 30 minutes. His cry is the most pathetic thing I have ever heard! He never "screams" (unless he's having his diaper changed) but has a distinct "whine." I will have to take a video and post it. 

Likes: Nursing and being cuddled. He's definately a snuggler!

Milestones: He passed his hearing test in 2 minutes and 45 seconds! 

Postpartum: I was pretty groggy for his first day!

Our Birth Story

To say my delivery went exactly according to plan would be a lie. We went in for a scheduled induction on Wednesday, April 24th. The nurses started me out on a low dose of cervidil at 12:15 am (which is technically April 25th) I began having major cramping at 2 am. I was unable to sleep or talk because they hurt so bad. My nurse gave me a "baby dose" of morphine that allowed me to sleep.

       
Forrest and I were excited for the day ahead of us DELIVERY DAY! I was given pitocin Thursday morning. I started making steady progress and we were pleased. I had my epidural placed at 9:30 am when I was 4 cm. We had a few scares with decels in Aiden's heartrate that was treated with oxygen. I continued to progress until around 8:30 pm-ish. It was then that my OB came in with some less than desirable news. She said I stopped progressing and Aiden's head would dip down then go back up. She recommended a c section. I was nervous about it but knew I was in the care of the best doctors in town. I trusted them completely! Forrest and I were prepped for the OR. The anesthesiologist added medication to my epidural in hopes that it would numb my belly enough for surgery. It did not! I felt every "prick test" they did. The next step for the anesthesiologist was to do a spinal. This was a strange experience! My legs and most of my abdomen were completely numb. This meant that I had to be held up by two male nurses because I was dead weight and munched over while shaking uncontrollably  What a sight! Once the spinal was placed I went through the "prick test" again and felt everything. I was not affected one bit by the spinal. The anesthesiologist looked at me and said he was going to have to put me completely under. I was scared. I remember praying hard! The worst part of this whole process was that Forrest was not able to be in the room because I was under general anesthesia. My heart broke for him! As I was being put under I remember praying for Aiden and praying for Forrest!

I woke up in recovery to my mom and Ninny. I am so glad we made the decision to have our mothers in the room during the delivery, or so we thought. They were such a calming influence! Forrest and I had already talked about the if's of a c section. I told him as long as I was doing ok I wanted him to be with our little one! Under the circumstances, he was hesitant but agreed. He has been my rock through my entire pregnancy and even more so now that we are home! 

Aiden was born weighing 7 lb 13 oz and 20 3/4 inches long. He was brought to the nursery right away because he was having labored breathing. Once he was stabilized, the nurses bent the rules and let Forrest hold Aiden in the nursery since he was not able to be in the delivery room.

Even though everything related to my delivery was far from "picture perfect" I wouldn't trade it for anything because we are now able to hold our SON, Aiden James Sumner.