Three weeks out

Baby Woos is already 3 weeks old.  Sometimes it feels like he just got here and sometimes it feels like he has been he much longer then three weeks.  

What's going on with Baby Woos?  
We are still trying to get a sleep schedule down.  Some nights he is super good and others not so much.  The nights that aren't as good I think we can blame them on his nap he likes to take around 8-10 and then he wants to be up til 2 in the morning.  So now we are going to be implementing bath time at 8 most nights.

I have started to use the Breast Pump-- wow what an interesting tool.  I am trying to get a little freezer stash for when I go back to work and also have some milk so daddy can start feeding him in the bottle.  Hopefully he will take a bottle because he won't take a pacifier.  In place of his pacificer is my finger.

What's going on with me?
I weighed myself yesterday (at the three week mark) and I lost another 3 pounds.  So that puts me to 10 pounds (or 15 if go by my best weight at boot camp) away from my pre-pregnancy weight.  But we all know that the last 10 pounds are always the most stubborn to lose.  

Although my weight is only off by 10 pounds my body is in no where the shape I want it to be.  This week I have been increasing the length of our walks and today we walked 1.5 miles.  I don't want to do too much too soon so every day we try to walk a little further.  We love our walks together!!

Bath Time Fun

Baby Woos has graduated from his sponge bath to a big boy bath in his tub. He loves his bath and so does mommy.  The first time I bathed him I had the diaper on until the end (in case of an accident) but now he bathes completely nude.  

Since diapers have not been my friends (mostly disposable) he has had some blow-out accidents and therefore bath time is a must!  (more on diapers later) No one likes a stinky boy.

Here mommy and daddy are giving him a bath together.  

For now I like giving him baths on my bathroom floor because I feel like I have more control.  Once he can hold his head up I think I will be moving him into the kitchen.  

Bath time is so much fun.  He loves being in the water.  Last time when I took him out of the water he peed on me and started to cry a little... not sure if the cold air got to him or if he was upset bath time was over.  

Nana & Grandpa

I am so thankful that my mom was here with me the first two weeks of Baby Woos' life.  Although I didn't except to be in the hospital until Friday it was so nice knowing my mom was here.  When you are 10, 20, or 31 having your mom around always makes you feel better.

I am not going to lie.  The first week at home I don't think I could have done it without my mom.  I was taking care of Baby Woos but I kept forgetting that I just went through a major surgery and taking care of myself was the hard part.  My mom always made sure I was drinking enough water, made sure that I ate, and did all of the house chores including the cooking.  Mom's cooking is the best! It is really easy to get consumed by your little one and forget to eat or take care of yourself.  She also made sure that I would nap when Baby Woos was sleeping at least one time a day.  Donnie helped out too but having my mom at home with me helped me sooo much.  She also calmed my nerves when Baby Woos spit up or had hiccups and helped teach me how to burp him and bath him.

Baby Woos loved having Nana at the house too.  Every morning we would have our coffee on the back porch and then Baby Woos would sit with Nana.  Anytime he would get hungry he would try to suck on my mom's shoulder.  Nana also knick-named Baby Woos "bird-man" because anytime he would get hungry he would open his mouth like little birds do waiting for their mom to feed them.

Grandpa also came down from NY to meet his first grandson.  He was/is a very proud Grandpa.  This is the first grandchild on both sides of our families.  And this is also the first boy that has been born on my dad's side of the family.  

We enjoyed having Nana and Grandpa here and can't wait to see them again soon!  XXOO

Two weeks since Delivery

Big Boy Sleeping in His Crib

Baby Woos had his Two Week Check-up.  He is a healthy growing baby boy.  He has gained back all his weight that he initially lost plus some.  Breastfeeding is going well and his doctor said I could start pumping since he is feeding well and gaining weight... so we will see how that goes.  Baby Woos also now has approval to get a big boy bath since his umbilical cord fell off and his penis is healed. 

Dylan's measurements:

Age: 2 weeks

Weight and Percentile: 9 ilbs. 11 oz.; 83%

Height and Percentile: 22.3 inches; 99%

Head Circumference & Percentile: 15; 97%

Dylan is the love of my life.  I can't believe how much love you can have for your own child.  Being a mommy is so rewarding!!!

What's going on with me?

Yesterday I had my two week check-up and my doctor liked how my stitches were healing which is very exciting.  She cleared me to continue walking and I also can take a bath or going swimming now.  I can gradually increase the amount of weight I carry to include the car-seat with Baby Woos in it but I must be careful not to over do it.  I am still on an exercise restriction until my 6 week follow-up appointment.  The reason for the restriction is because too much vigorous activity and I could pull a stitch inside me and therefore have to have another surgery to fix it.  I do not want to go through another surgery so I am going to follow my doctors orders and lay low until my 6 week appointment.


Now I have a confession to make-  I didn't stay within the 25-35 pounds that you are supposed to gain during pregnancy.  According to the doctors scale I gained 40 pounds during pregnancy.  (And if I use my best weight in the beginning of October from boot camp then I gained 45 pounds- OUCH!)  But it was all worth it because Baby Woos was born a big healthy boy and at my doctors appointment yesterday I stepped on the scale and lost 27 pounds!  That is 27 pounds in two weeks-- YIPPY!!  I guess my body gained more water then I thought towards the end of pregnancy.  

Yucky picture- but have to start somewhere

Recovery From a C Section

The number one reason why I did not want to have a c section was because I knew that the recovery time is typically much longer.  But all things happen for a reason and its not such a bad thing to have to rely on others to help you in the first few weeks of being a mommy.

Daddy had to change the first few diapers because I couldn't get out of bed.  My calves had wraps on them that were plugged into the bed that massaged them so I wouldn't get blood clots so even if I wanted to get out of bed I couldn't.  (Don't worry- I had a catheter in place since Monday.)  Thankfully, daddy got a hang of it right away.  

The day after surgery the nurses came into my room and told me that I could finally shower.  Although taking a shower sounded like a fantastic idea I will admit it was incredibly painful to stand up and get out of bed- even with the help of the two nurses.  Thankfully Donnie was there with me because he literally had to help me shower and I couldn't have done it without him.

My mom, and Sarah & Anthony also came back to visit at the hospital.  And my wonderful husband spent every night with me at the hospital.  I couldn't get out of bed without the help of someone and was very dependable on my husband. 

We had to stay in the hospital until Friday afternoon for my body to recover... and although I wanted to get home to my house I really wasn't complaining that I was in the hospital because I knew I needed the help of the nurses.  

The first time I was able to walk around the hallways of the hospital was on Thursday and although I was walking at the pace of the turtle it felt great to be able to walk.  

On the car ride home on Friday I sat in the back with our son.  I never realized how many bumps are on the roads because with every bump I would get a sharp pain in my stomach.  Baby Woos was completely zonked out on the car ride home because he was still on pain medicine from getting circumcised only an hour before we left the hospital. 

Now that I have been home a little over a week, I am off of my strong pain meds, I have been going on short walks, and the pain gets less every day.  I know the road to being able to do a sit-up is going to be a long road but I am going to take it slow.  I don't want to do something to tear a stitch and then start recovery all over again.  I know it may be a while before I am in my pre-pregnancy jeans but as long as my stitches heal properly I am willing to wait.

Walk Time

I love being a mommy and being able to wake up to this face:

And now I am strong enough (I promise to write my recovery post) to go on a small walk around the block. Walking time with Baby Woos is going to be a daily habit because I love getting in some exercise, being outdoors in the sun, and Baby Woos enjoys himself.  

Taking a break from breastfeeding and getting out of the house is a MUST.  I can't wait until we will be able to go on longer walks in the neighborhood.

And nap time is also great! 

Baby Woos Birth Story

On Sunday, July 7th, Donnie and I went into East Cooper Hospital in order to start the induction process.  I was not dilated yet so my doctor wanted to have me take cerebral on Sunday night to help efface my cervix and help me dilate.  We arrived to the hospital and they immediately had me undress and get dressed into a gown.  I'm not sure what I thought was going to happen Sunday night but I didn't think I would already be out of my clothes and into a gown.  After asking routine questions the nurses put an iv in my arm (painful) and then inserted the cerebral into me.  The cerebral was also going to make me start having some contractions.  I wasn't in pain at first and the nurse said that I could eat dinner so Donnie and I ordered takeout from the Kickin Chicken and I enjoyed my meal.

That night the nurse gave me ambien to sleep but it really didn't work and I was up at 2:00 am so she came back and gave me pain medicine because my contractions were starting.  The combination of the ambien & pain medicine did the trick and I passed out.  I was very loopy on that combination of drugs.

The next morning the anaesthesiologist came in to insert the epidural.  The initial injection didn't hurt too bad but then the needle was left in me a little too long for my liking and that is when a loudly said "ow ow ow" and I even startled the doctor.  He said my reaction was a little late :)  I went to sleep after the epidural was in and woke up to "something" on my right foot.  Because of the epidural I couldn't move waste down so I had Donnie look under the sheet to see what was on my foot...only to discover that it was my left foot on my right foot.  lol

Donnie checking my foot

Once the epidural was in place the nurse give me picotin through my iv to give my contractions a boost.  All day Monday I had contractions but didn't feel a thing because of the epidural which was great... however my cervix didn't change much and by the end of the day around 5:30 pm the doctors decided to take me off the picotin and epidural to let my body rest for the night so we could start again Tuesday morning.

Since the pain medicine made me soo loopy the night before I didn't want any in my system- BIG mistake.  Around 4:45 a.m. I was hurting BAD.  We called in the nurse to give me the pain medicine into my iv but when she tried my iv hurt so bad when then just flushed it that the nurse decided it would be best to insert a new iv.  At first I just asked for Tylenol or a pill because I didn't want the pain of the new iv at the same time as my other pain... however Donnie told me that it wouldn't work and just go ahead and get the new iv.  After two attempts and a bruised left arm a new iv was secure in my right arm and the nurse gave me half of the dose of pain medicine at my request (again because I didn't want to feel super loopy again).  In hindsight I should have taken the full dose because around 6:45 a.m. I was in sooo much pain I was crying.  Donnie called the nurses and told them I needed the doctor and the epidural NOW.  Thankfully they listened to frantic Donnie and the anaesthesiologist was up in my room in no time and the epidural was administered to me again.  I have never felt so much pain before in my life and seriously do not know how a woman can go through labor without an epidural.

My doctor checked my cervix again to find that I was 2 cm dilated, which wasn't much but it was progress. They started me on picotin again to help increase my contractions.  That morning my doctor also broke my water.  By lunch time I was 4 cm dilated which was great but they wanted more progress so the inserted a monitor into me to see how powerful my contractions were.  They were not sure if Baby Woos was trapped or if anything was wrapped around him because he wasn't dropping like they wanted him to.  They were able to increase the picotin but my body wasn't responding.  Around 3:30 p.m. I had to be placed on oxygen because Baby Woos' heartbeat was dropping a little (they said probably because he was sleeping) but he responded to the oxygen well so I was able to be taken off the oxygen after about 35 minutes.  I was so glad I was taken off of the oxygen because Donnie was picking up my mom from the airport and I did not want them to walk in and see me on oxygen.

Right before C Section

Around 5:30 my doctor came back in and although I was completely effaced and 4 cm dilated I wasn't making progress and my body had been through 2 days of labor.  My doctor told me that I needed to have a c section.  I was prepared because my nurse and doctor had already prepped us on what the c section entailed.  First the anesthesiologist came up and gave me an extra dose of the epidural so I was numb up to right below my breasts.  As I was sitting there letting the medicine kick in I started to get nauseous and I couldn't stop shaking; partly due to nerves and partly due to the medicine.  Donnie was also given his surgeon's outfit to come into the delivery room with me.

Shortly after 6:00 p.m. they wheeled me into a bright surgery room and lifted me off my bed onto a VERY narrow metal table they use for surgery.  I was so uncomfortable at first because I was numb everywhere and the way the pillow was positioned I could hardly breath.  After they fixed the pillow I was speaking with a doctor about the procedure and I felt like I was going to throw up on him (again because of medicine and nerves) so they gave me nausea medicine through my iv which helped me so much.  The doctors and nurses prepped me for surgery and then Donnie was allowed to enter.  I was so glad Donnie was by my side.  My arms were placed on two metal arms off the table so it was if I was laying on a very narrow cross.  When Donnie entered I had tears running out of my eyes out of fear and he just held my hand and said everything was going to be alright.

Holding Daddy's Hand

Less then 10 minutes later I heard the sweet sound of our baby cry at 6:51 p.m..  The doctor said he actually started to cry before his shoulders were even out of me.  I was so relieved that our sweet baby boy was delivered and he was finally here.  Once they rinsed him off Donnie watched him get weighed and then they brought him to me so I could see his sweet face.  He weighed 9 ilbs 4 oz. and probably would have weighed a little more but he peed as soon as they pulled him out of me.

He was finally here!  When they first brought Dylan to me he wasn't crying anymore but just kept opening up his sweet mouth and looking at me with his blue eyes.  Donnie went with Dylan to the nursery while the doctors finished rinsing me off and sewing me up.  It really was a surreal experience.  My doctor said that all of my organs looked very clean and nice and she complemented me how healthy they looked... so an advantage of a c section- free internal check-up of your organs :)  

After I was sewed up they wheeled me off to the recovery room where they brought Dylan to me so I could breast feed him for the first time.  It was such an amazing feeling.  Once I was in my room for the remainder of the stay our friends Sarah and Anthony and my mom were there to greet our son.  Although the c section was not planned and I know recovery has been much harder I am so grateful that our baby boy is here with us and he is a healthy baby boy.

Holding him in my arms was/is such a great feeling.  

I still can't believe that this amazing boy was in me for over 9 months. 

We remained in the hospital until Friday but I will talk about that in my recovery post.  I hope you enjoyed Dylan's birth story.

One Week Since Delivery

I am happy to announce that Dylan Carter made his arrival at 6:51 on Tuesday, July 9th. He weighed 9 ilbs 4 oz and was 21 inches long.

I have a ton of posts that I want to write about including his birth story, first doctors appointment, my hospital stay, and show you tons pictures of him.  But today so I don't get behind on my weeks I am going to talk about me.

Today is exactly one week since I gave birth to Dylan.  It was a long process (that you will learn about) but for now all you need to know is that I had to have a c section.  Recovery process is going to take a while!

1 week post-partum

And this is my c section scar that is healing nicely, but is also requiring me to take it much easier and absolutely no lifting anything heavier then Baby Woos.

Although I am no rush to get back into my pre-maternity jeans I am curious to see how long it will take me to even get doctors approval to do more around the house.  My first doctor's appointment is next Monday so I will find out how I am doing then.  

Now here are some adorable pictures of our sweet son: 

This was taken about an hour after delivery in my recovery room at East Cooper.

This was taken when Dylan was 1 day old- still in the hospital.

Baby Woos is finally home.

Our big boy is sleeping in his own crib for nap time.