Just a few of the cute faces he makes that never cease to bring a smile to my face...
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
A tight swaddle is a good swaddle...
We have started putting Aidan to bed in his crib, in his own room, every night now. He sleeps *so* much better, and so do we! Not listening to every rustle and sigh benefits all of us, really - he is waking up to eat twice per night, between 10pm and 9am, so we think it is a pretty good schedule for a little guy who isn't even 3 weeks old yet!
The key to a good sleep, which we found out when Ava was a baby too - the swaddle! The idea behind it is that babies are snuggled very tightly in the womb, so they are used to it. Aidan instantly calms when we swaddle him tightly. The key I have found - the Halo SleepSack Swaddle wearable blanket! It comes with a stretchy wrap with velcro on the end, to wrap him like a little burrito, and it is snug!!
The only problem - the cream color I got makes it look oh-so-slightly like a straightjacket!! Here is Aidan doing his best psychiatric ward pose...
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Our first week at home
I'll admit it - the first 48 hours were rough. But not in a usual, sleep-deprived-with-an-infant kind of way. Aidan had to go to the pediatrician's office last Thursday for a weight check and a bilirubin screen, less than 24 hours after being discharged from the hospital. His weight was down even more, and his bili levels were more elevated - despite being on a home bili blanket machine for jaundice. However - a week later, all of that has changed! He is off the bili blanket completely, his bilirubin levels are now back down, almost to normal, and he is eating like a champ!
I hate to jinx myself here, but he is so much easier than Ava was at this age. He rarely cries or fusses unless he is wet or hungry. He sleeps very well - now doing 3 1/2 to 4 hour stretches at night. He is just a very easygoing baby (for now!). Hopefully this will continue for a long time, but right now I'm enjoying every minute of it. He already seems to be growing, his little cheeks look a tiny bit more pudgy, his legs look just a little less skinny. Day by day, I see changes.
Ava is doing well with him. At school, her teachers report she is a little whiny and clingy, but we're hoping she is just adjusting slowly. This is definitely overwhelming for her, but she is doing her best, and that is all we can ask for. She seems to love the baby, she kisses him on the forehead and watches him sleep.
More pictures, coming soon!
I hate to jinx myself here, but he is so much easier than Ava was at this age. He rarely cries or fusses unless he is wet or hungry. He sleeps very well - now doing 3 1/2 to 4 hour stretches at night. He is just a very easygoing baby (for now!). Hopefully this will continue for a long time, but right now I'm enjoying every minute of it. He already seems to be growing, his little cheeks look a tiny bit more pudgy, his legs look just a little less skinny. Day by day, I see changes.
Ava is doing well with him. At school, her teachers report she is a little whiny and clingy, but we're hoping she is just adjusting slowly. This is definitely overwhelming for her, but she is doing her best, and that is all we can ask for. She seems to love the baby, she kisses him on the forehead and watches him sleep.
More pictures, coming soon!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
New pictures!
Our little glo-worm!! Aidan on his bili light blanket in the hospital.
Finally heading home!! Aidan and Mommy.
All swaddled in his Moses basket.
Aidan's first bath!
Squeaky clean... and not too sure about this bath stuff!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
A few pictures of our newest addition!
Aidan being monitored in the NICU, shortly after delivery
All bundled up!
Mommy, 2 hours post c-section, waiting to meet her little guy!
A big sister meets her baby brother for the first time!
Sound asleep....
Aidan's Birth Story (very long!)
The beginning of it all - Thursday, January 10 I started having some pre-labor symptoms at
home, really thought nothing of it, but decided to call my OB's office just to let them know.
The OB nurse called me back Thursday evening telling me since it was after 5pm and the office was closed, she'd like me to go in to the hospital's Labor & Delivery triage dept. just to get checked out and make sure everything was ok.
Thinking I would only be gone an hour or two, I had Chris stay home with Ava, and I drove myself to L&D. Was I ever in for a surprise!
Once in the triage area, they hooked me up to a fetal monitor and a contraction monitor and examined me. After the exam I started having very strong contractions, 4-5 minutes apart. Also, my blood pressure was pretty high. So the OB that was on-call that evening said she couldn't very well send me back home given the circumstances, so she wanted me to stay overnight for monitoring. So much for a quick check! I called Chris to let him know, and they moved me to a L&D suite to be monitored, with hopes that my BP would be back to normal the next day and they'd let me come home.
Over the next 2 days, my BP stayed elevated, and they drew lots of blood work and sent urine labs. I spent thursday night and friday night in L&D, and saturday morning another OB physician came in and said with how everything was going, and the fact that I was already 38 weeks, it was recommended just to induce me and have this baby instead of just continuing to monitor the situation. So Saturday, we were told, it was time to get this baby delivered!
Saturday, January 12th, they started my IV, had me sign a ton of consents and paperwork, and started Pitocin around noon.
By 6pm, the RN checked me again, and after 6 hours on the Pitocin, and having regular, strong contractions, I wasn't making much progress. The OB came in to see me around 7pm, and decided to go ahead and break my water.
In the next hour, after she broke my water, contractions became much more intense! I got my epidural around 8:30 - heaven!! I could watch my contractions on the monitor and not feel them at all. Life was good!
Through the night I made slow progress, and towards morning, baby's head was very low, and things started to speed up all of a sudden. The nurse checked me at 6am - I was 5 cm. At 6:45am, after having a lot more pressure and bad contractions she checked me again and I was 6-7 cm. 15 minutes later, as the nurses were giving report at shift change in my room, I told them I felt like I needed to push. The oncoming RN checked me and laughed and said "That's because you do - you're 10cm!"
I started pushing at around 7:15am, they had the baby warmer in the room waiting for Aidan, and the delivery table all ready to go. That is when it all got interesting!!
After a few minutes of pushing, the OB and the RNs present noticed that Aidan's heartrate was dropping every time I pushed. They had me turn on one side and push, and then the other side - no luck. His heartrate continued to drop each time. Finally the OB told me to quit pushing altogether, and I breathed through a few contractions while she watched the monitor. Aidan's heart rate was dropping with every contraction at this point.
She talked to me, and I knew what was coming - it was time to do a c-section, because he was in distress, and we had to move quickly. They had placed a heartrate monitor on Aidan's scalp so they could get an accurate heartrate, and it was hooked up to a machine in the room that beeped with every beat. It was terrifying to hear it slow down with every contraction! They took Chris out to get some scrubs to wear into the operating room, prepped me, and wheeled me out the door down the hall to the OR. The tears started, I couldn't help it!
Once in the OR, I was shaking uncontrollably. Freezing cold, they crucified me to the skinny operating table with my arms stretched out to either side. I was still having contractions every 90 seconds at this point, and my epidural was not working at all.
The anesthesiologist bolused me several times in attempts to get me numb to do the c-section, but I wasn't feeling any relief. He did the "pinprick" skin test on my abdomen, and I felt every needle prick - the epidural was not working.
They told me they had no choice but to put a breathing tube down my throat and sedate me under general anesthesia. Because of this, and the fact that it was an emergency, Chris was not able to be in the room to see the delivery. I laid on the table saying "Oh my god, oh my god...." This was not exactly how I had planned on having this baby!
I was terrified beyond belief. I could feel them pushing some strong drugs into my IV... and the next thing I know, I'm seeing the bright lights of the OR, everything is a little hazy, I'm not in any pain, and they are telling me "Karin, we're all done!"
They wheeled me back to my room, Chris was there waiting for me. He had been able to see Aidan right after he was born, and he'd gone up with the NICU team with them and took a few pictures. Aidan was perfectly fine, and they were keeping him for 4 hours to monitor him. They also told me there was a reason behind why Aidan's heartrate kept dropping during delivery... he was delievered in the OR, and found to have his umbilical cord wrapped tightly around his neck! A c-section was inevitable, and we are very lucky to have been monitored so closely.
Finally, around 1pm, I finally got to see my baby boy when they brought him to my room. It was the longest wait, but it was worth it. He is absolutely perfect! Tiny, but perfect!
home, really thought nothing of it, but decided to call my OB's office just to let them know.
The OB nurse called me back Thursday evening telling me since it was after 5pm and the office was closed, she'd like me to go in to the hospital's Labor & Delivery triage dept. just to get checked out and make sure everything was ok.
Thinking I would only be gone an hour or two, I had Chris stay home with Ava, and I drove myself to L&D. Was I ever in for a surprise!
Once in the triage area, they hooked me up to a fetal monitor and a contraction monitor and examined me. After the exam I started having very strong contractions, 4-5 minutes apart. Also, my blood pressure was pretty high. So the OB that was on-call that evening said she couldn't very well send me back home given the circumstances, so she wanted me to stay overnight for monitoring. So much for a quick check! I called Chris to let him know, and they moved me to a L&D suite to be monitored, with hopes that my BP would be back to normal the next day and they'd let me come home.
Over the next 2 days, my BP stayed elevated, and they drew lots of blood work and sent urine labs. I spent thursday night and friday night in L&D, and saturday morning another OB physician came in and said with how everything was going, and the fact that I was already 38 weeks, it was recommended just to induce me and have this baby instead of just continuing to monitor the situation. So Saturday, we were told, it was time to get this baby delivered!
Saturday, January 12th, they started my IV, had me sign a ton of consents and paperwork, and started Pitocin around noon.
By 6pm, the RN checked me again, and after 6 hours on the Pitocin, and having regular, strong contractions, I wasn't making much progress. The OB came in to see me around 7pm, and decided to go ahead and break my water.
In the next hour, after she broke my water, contractions became much more intense! I got my epidural around 8:30 - heaven!! I could watch my contractions on the monitor and not feel them at all. Life was good!
Through the night I made slow progress, and towards morning, baby's head was very low, and things started to speed up all of a sudden. The nurse checked me at 6am - I was 5 cm. At 6:45am, after having a lot more pressure and bad contractions she checked me again and I was 6-7 cm. 15 minutes later, as the nurses were giving report at shift change in my room, I told them I felt like I needed to push. The oncoming RN checked me and laughed and said "That's because you do - you're 10cm!"
I started pushing at around 7:15am, they had the baby warmer in the room waiting for Aidan, and the delivery table all ready to go. That is when it all got interesting!!
After a few minutes of pushing, the OB and the RNs present noticed that Aidan's heartrate was dropping every time I pushed. They had me turn on one side and push, and then the other side - no luck. His heartrate continued to drop each time. Finally the OB told me to quit pushing altogether, and I breathed through a few contractions while she watched the monitor. Aidan's heart rate was dropping with every contraction at this point.
She talked to me, and I knew what was coming - it was time to do a c-section, because he was in distress, and we had to move quickly. They had placed a heartrate monitor on Aidan's scalp so they could get an accurate heartrate, and it was hooked up to a machine in the room that beeped with every beat. It was terrifying to hear it slow down with every contraction! They took Chris out to get some scrubs to wear into the operating room, prepped me, and wheeled me out the door down the hall to the OR. The tears started, I couldn't help it!
Once in the OR, I was shaking uncontrollably. Freezing cold, they crucified me to the skinny operating table with my arms stretched out to either side. I was still having contractions every 90 seconds at this point, and my epidural was not working at all.
The anesthesiologist bolused me several times in attempts to get me numb to do the c-section, but I wasn't feeling any relief. He did the "pinprick" skin test on my abdomen, and I felt every needle prick - the epidural was not working.
They told me they had no choice but to put a breathing tube down my throat and sedate me under general anesthesia. Because of this, and the fact that it was an emergency, Chris was not able to be in the room to see the delivery. I laid on the table saying "Oh my god, oh my god...." This was not exactly how I had planned on having this baby!
I was terrified beyond belief. I could feel them pushing some strong drugs into my IV... and the next thing I know, I'm seeing the bright lights of the OR, everything is a little hazy, I'm not in any pain, and they are telling me "Karin, we're all done!"
They wheeled me back to my room, Chris was there waiting for me. He had been able to see Aidan right after he was born, and he'd gone up with the NICU team with them and took a few pictures. Aidan was perfectly fine, and they were keeping him for 4 hours to monitor him. They also told me there was a reason behind why Aidan's heartrate kept dropping during delivery... he was delievered in the OR, and found to have his umbilical cord wrapped tightly around his neck! A c-section was inevitable, and we are very lucky to have been monitored so closely.
Finally, around 1pm, I finally got to see my baby boy when they brought him to my room. It was the longest wait, but it was worth it. He is absolutely perfect! Tiny, but perfect!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Aidan is HERE!
A very quick update -
Aidan Lory Whetzel arrived Sunday, January 13, 2008 at 8:22am via emergency c-section after quite a whirlwind of a labor and delivery! He weighed in at 6 lbs, 9 oz and was 20 inches long. He had to go to the NICU for observation for 4 hours, but is perfectly fine and healthy, and I am recovering well also. More updates and pictures will be posted soon!
Aidan Lory Whetzel arrived Sunday, January 13, 2008 at 8:22am via emergency c-section after quite a whirlwind of a labor and delivery! He weighed in at 6 lbs, 9 oz and was 20 inches long. He had to go to the NICU for observation for 4 hours, but is perfectly fine and healthy, and I am recovering well also. More updates and pictures will be posted soon!
Monday, January 7, 2008
37+ week OB appt. update
Well, I am officially full term - this little boy is healthy and fully developed, so he can safely arrive any day now.
The appt. was fine - baby's HR was in the 140s as always, my bp was a little higher than normal, but not terrible. Group B strep screen came back negative from last week.
And I figured out why I feel huge - I AM huge! My belly is measuring 39, almost 40 cm, so about 3 weeks ahead. Whoa!
Nothing else to report - from here on out it is just a waiting game to see when this little boy wants to make his grand entrance!
The appt. was fine - baby's HR was in the 140s as always, my bp was a little higher than normal, but not terrible. Group B strep screen came back negative from last week.
And I figured out why I feel huge - I AM huge! My belly is measuring 39, almost 40 cm, so about 3 weeks ahead. Whoa!
Nothing else to report - from here on out it is just a waiting game to see when this little boy wants to make his grand entrance!
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