Xander, Emilie and Baby #3 » March 2005 Journal Entries » AboutMyBaby - online baby scrapbooks, photo albums, videos, birth and pregnancy announcements

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Wed, Mar 30, 2005 12:24 AM
Xander isn't wanting to sleep right now so he's sitting in his papasan, (appearing to be) starring at the ceiling. Since he doesn't want to sleep, I'm going to add a quick update.

We've worked out the breastfeeding problems--we stopped doing it. He's still getting breast milk, only it's coming solely from bottles. I'm now pumping (or as Chad calls it--milking) exclusively. We all seem happier by this decision. He doesn't struggle with having to "eat at his least favorite restaurant," neither do I, no more pain for me, no guilt to deal with on my part because he's still getting "the best" to eat, and two happier people for Chad to deal with. Plus, Daddy is involved with more than just diaper changes now!

Sleeping has also gotten better--meaning we're all getting more of it! Xander is sleeping for 2-3hr stretches and recently 4hrs at a time during the night. Now if we can just get him to sleep after this pesky evening feeding!

Speaking of which, he just fell asleep! Time to put both of us to bed!

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Fri, Mar 25, 2005 5:55 PM
Xander had his first Well Baby Check/2wk appointment today. It was actually scheduled for Monday but the lactation consultant I was talking to suggested we get a weight check done before the weekend since he's been spitting up so much. Much to our relief, Dr. McIntire says he's doing just fine. His weight is back up to his birth weight (which it should be by this time) and he's grown a 1/4in already! I guess there should've been no fear that he wasn't eating enough!

He also said some babies spit up more than others. If they do it right after they eat, it's going to look just like milk (like his does) and if they do it about 15min later, it's going to resemble cottage cheese. Those that do it more often are said to have reflux (which would include Xander). He doesn't treat it because he doesn't think any of the baby medicines out now are worth the price. As long as he's peeing and pooping okay (which he is), don't worry about it. Just hold him upright for a little while after he eats. The other thing he mentioned is that a baby that is an easy puker turns into a kid that's an easy puker. Oh joy!

We asked about his tongue, too. He said not to do anything about it. Most toddlers will fall down at some point and it will tear on its own. Creates a nice picture, huh?

Poor little man didn't get any shots at this appt but the Doc did check out how the circumcision was healing. It looked good everywhere other than where the doc messed with it and made it bleed like I've never seen!! And how do you stop bleeding? Apply pressure. So poor little Xander-Man got his weenie squished until it stopped. Ouch again! I hope the shots aren't any harder to watch than that was!

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Thu, Mar 24, 2005 10:18 PM
Since we’ve gotten home, feeding Xander hasn’t been the same. He was doing great while we were in the hospital, until he was circumcised. Since then, we’ve been having trouble. He seems to eat half as long, hates one side (that I always experience pain on), and vomits (I wouldn’t call it spit up) what seems to me to be at least half his food back up! He used to go to sleep during or right after he ate. Now he’s up for about an hour after he eats—sometimes content, sometimes acting like he’s still hungry. Since he’s vomiting so much, I hate to feed him more when he still acts hungry because it nearly always comes back up. I’m worried sick that there’s something wrong with him that causing him to get sick so much or that there’s something wrong with my milk. So we end up with a house full of unhappy people.

During one particularly bad night, Chad and I washed all the bottles we had and started checking out the labels on all the free formula samples we’ve received by mail. Since breast is supposed to be best, I’ve been feeling huge amounts of guilt about switching to formula, so Chad went out and rented a breast pump from Methodist. We have one bottle sitting in the fridge so far but are still trying to make the breast feeding work. I don’t think I’ll be able to stand the side bias or vomiting for much longer without going insane so we’ll either be switching to pumping only or formula so we can “control�? how much food he’s getting at each feeding.

While we were still in the hospital, one of the nurses commented on Xander being tongue tied (the tissue that connects your tongue to the bottom of your mouth goes all the way to the end of Xander’s tongue—he can’t stick his tongue out of his mouth), which may cause him to have trouble breast feeding. The lactation consultant watched us for awhile and said it wasn’t a problem. But being a worrying first time mom, I still wonder.

I talked to a Methodist Hospital lactation consultant yesterday and she suggested going in for a weight check before the end of the week before his first well baby appointment on Monday. I called and made that appointment this morning and Dr. McIntire wants us to keep track of how often he eats, how much and often he gets sick, and his diaper contents until the appointment at 9:30 tomorrow morning.

Here’s to hoping the little guy is alright!! And mommy and daddy can relax a little bit because they get some advice on feeding him!!

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Thu, Mar 24, 2005 1:14 PM
It seems like forever since I've added an update! Here's an attempt if Xander will stay asleep long enough! Chad did a great job updating the website while we were at the hospital, but I'll add my perspective.

The whole process started with a 2:30am trip to the bathroom. Not long after I layed back down, I felt a "pop" and decided to head back to the restroom. Chad asked me what I was doing because he knew I'd just been in there and knew that “it was time.�? Dr. Lee suggested that we head over to the hospital to have them check to see if it was really my water that had broken. By the time we got there (~5:30am), there was no mistaking it and the nurses admitted me without bothering to do the check. They hooked me up to all the monitors and said my contractions were coming every 2-3min but they weren’t intense enough so that I could feel them. Not long after, they started the IV (which I was dreading…I’m not a fan of big needles) and we waited.

Hours went by with no progress. (Chad did a great job keeping the mood light!) I was 1-2cm dilated at that point and Dr. Lee suggested getting up to walk around to speed things along because she knew I didn’t want pitocin. There was a noticeable difference with walking—I could feel the contractions but they still weren’t intense or coming often enough. I was 3-4cm dilated at the next check but since that wasn’t going to get Xander here, they started the pitocin at 1:15pm. I asked Dr. Lee if I could have an epidural but she said she wanted the contractions to become consistent first. The next…I don’t know how long—I lost track of time but it seemed like hours…had to be the worst I can remember!! I’ve never felt such pain!! (Oddly, the worst part of it was that the excruciating pain was in my hip joints.) After the nurses had been in a few times and told me the contractions weren’t coming regularly yet, I pleaded to have the epidural. The nurse’s response was, “You’re ready? I’ll go get the anesthesiologist.�? Obviously all the nurses didn’t know the doctor’s orders. I wish I would have known that sooner!! Getting the epidural was a breeze and I IMMEDIATELY got relief. The epidural has to be the greatest invention in history!

Things progressed quickly after that. 40min later, I was 6-7cm dilated and by just before 4pm, I was fully dilated. I pushed for 1.5hrs during which the nurses tried to guess his weight and arrival time. One kept saying high 6lbs-low 7lbs and 6:15pm. The other said mid-low 7lbs and 5:30pm. The nurses also kept trying to get me to take a look at the pushing progression with the mirror. After telling them no forty times, I finally took a look, saw his dark hair, and had them take it away. Everyone was also concerned that Chad was going to pass out because he was so quiet and wanted him to eat something. He was fine, just quiet because he was concerned about Xander and I. Getting back to the labor, I couldn’t feel the contractions but started to feel pressure from Xander’s head just before the nurses and Chad told me to push again. Finally, I saw the expression change on everyone’s face and they told me his head was out—I had no idea!! The next thing I knew, I pulling Xander onto my chest. He was finally here and completely perfect—and big!! Dr. Lee was even surprised by the size of his head! I guess all the nurses were wrong! Daddy taped Xander going through all the initial checks and treatments while I got what seemed like a billion stitches. (I guess that shouldn’t be a big surprise when you think about what a big boy he is!!) Xander cried the whole time, displaying the attitude we knew he had. Finally, Daddy got to hold his boy and we heard even more comments about how much they looked alike.

Over 19hrs after it all started, we all took a much needed nap. Since then, everything has been going in hyper speed. Xander got his first food (Chad was soooo supportive and helpful during those first few days), gave himself his first “shower,�? got his first flowers from Uncle Chad and soon-to-be Aunt Michelle, and first visitors (Grandma/pa Minch in the early afternoon and Grandma/pa Weitzel, Great Grandma/pa Adair, and Auntie Sa that evening). The next morning Xander was circumcised (poor guy!!) and we finally got out of the hospital around 11pm-12am after some hospital pictures (which we still aren’t ready) and his first IU game. We spent the first night at home sleeping on the floor, the couch, or the play pen bassinette.

Since this is so long and it's about time for Xander's lunch, I’ll save my next comments for another update. I’ll have to agree with what everyone says though—you don’t really remember the pain once you get to hold your sweet, precious baby and it’s all worth it!!

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Wed, Mar 16, 2005 1:09 PM
Hi Everybody!

Angie and baby are doing okay. Angie had kind of a rough night last night in terms of recovery, however, X-man did a much better job of eating.

This morning was the circumcision. Whew! I think that's all I'm going to say about that!

Since the circumcision, Xander has not been as interested in eating. (I don't think he realizes yet that his Dad is way to cheap to buy formula)

I'll add more Day One pictures soon!

More Trivia? Okay...since you twisted my arm....

Do you know who was born on March 14, 1692?

Peter Musschenbroek, Dutch physician/physicist, invented the Leyden jar (first capacitor).

Chad

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Tue, Mar 15, 2005 1:34 PM
Hi Everybody!

Baby and mom are still doing fine. Ang is still in some pain...of course. Xander is eating about every 2-3 hrs. He's struggling somewhat......he has realized that mom is "work-aurant" not a restaurant!

Interested in more trivia?

Do you know what famous physician/microbiologist was born on March 14, 1854?

Paul Ehrlich - cured syphilis - and led the way for the Gram stain!

Oh yeah....I'll try to add more pictures soon!

Chad

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Mon, Mar 14, 2005 11:53 PM
Hi Everybody!

Well....it has been a long day. 13 hours of labor and around 1.5 hours of pushing.....Xander is here! Check his stats....he's no little boy! I'm sure everyone is waiting to hear from Angie.....however...she is a little worn out! She and baby are doing fine. I've added some pictures so have a look....the nurses think he looks like me......

Do you know who was born on this day in 1879????? Albert Einstein.

Just some trivia for you!

Chad

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Mon, Mar 14, 2005 2:50 PM
Hi Everybody!

Well.....11 hours and still no baby. Angie was just given an epidural so the serious pain has subsided. Dr. Lee has asked Angie to rest now so I'm taking some time to post an update. It's look like Xander may be here in a couple of hours......

Chad

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Mon, Mar 14, 2005 11:07 AM
Hi Everybody!

7.5 hours since Ang's water broke and no baby! She is doing great with the labor. Dr Lee showed up awhile ago and suggested that Angie try some alternative methods to get the labor really going (as opposed to the pitocin). It has seemed to work so far b/c as she started the technique, the contractions increased in strength and are closer together. Anticipation is mounting......

Chad

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Mon, Mar 14, 2005 9:21 AM
Hey All!

We are at the hospital!! Angie's water broke last night around 230am with some slight leakage. We called Dr. Lee and she told us to come on in! So far...no baby.....or no active labor. She is having contractions pretty far apart. The contractions have been increasing in strength....anticipation is mounting!

Ang has asked that no unnecessary personnel be in the room so if you plan on stopping by...you should plan on hanging out in the luxurious waiting room (with plasma tv's and couches)...

Keep checking the site for more updates!

Chad

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Wed, Mar 9, 2005 7:00 PM
We had another appointment with Dr. Lee today. I'm second on her list of upcoming deliveries. According to her everything is progressing as expected. I’m not sure I agree. As Xander stretches in there, the top of my uterus pushes out making it appear as though I have a butt on my stomach. I guess he is sticking his butt out at me. He’s definitely Chad’s kid! She didn’t check for dilation or additional effacement. Apparently, she will check that next time, as the real “action�? should be starting next week! I hope! I feel like a beached whale.

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Wed, Mar 2, 2005 4:48 PM
We went in for another appointment today only to sit in the waiting room for about 2min before we were told that Dr. Lee was just called upstairs for a delivery. Over ~27wks, this was the first time we had ever encountered this situation and we were beginning to wonder when it would finally happen! We left them Chad's cell phone number and decided to head home until she was done or we'd just reschedule for tomorrow. We got about a mile down the road when his cell phone rang and they said she was done already. When we got back in the office, the nurses said they'd pray that Xander comes just as quickly!

Good news again--no protein in my urine, my blood pressure was fine, and no Group B strep. Woo hoo! We asked about a weight approximation for Xander but she said she doesn't even try to guess because it's rarely accurate. She just checks to see if the baby feels very large or very small. My uterus is still measuring a week small, but she said that's normal and that we shouldn't have to worry about his size. When she checked my cervix again this week, she said I still haven't dilated (maybe he'll hold off until St. Patty's Day) and the effacement remains the same. But she thinks he has dropped even more since last week (+1 station last week)!! She has commented for the second week in a row that she doesn't understand how I have any bladder capacity at all!!

She did have my platelet count checked again. Cross your fingers that it’s not below 50,000 because if it is, I probably won't be allowed to have an epidural. If it's still hovering around 100,000, she'll continue to monitor it but confer with the anesthesiologist to make sure I can have drugs. No matter what some women have told me, I'm not doing this without drugs!! : )

Dr. Lee also told us that most first time babies are late and tried to reassure us that she wouldn't let the pregnancy go past 42wks. We were talking about labor again and I told her about my family history--my Mom had all of us with in 2hrs of her water breaking and my sister had just made it into hospital with her first. Her next question was about how close we live to the hospital (10min) and said the farthest we can travel from home right now is downtown! Let's just hope Xander and I follow the same pattern!!!

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