Dear Dominic,
While you were peacefully sleeping in the pack 'n play last night I got it into my head that your head felt warm. I'm so sorry that I shoved the baby thermometer under your armpit causing you to wake up and scream bloody murder. I'm also sorry that I didn't trust said thermometer and changed your diaper under false pretenses so I could take your temperature "more accurately". Translation: with the "rectal" adapter on the thermometer. You didn't like this much either, but oddly the armpit tampering bothered you a lot more...
Rest assured you were a beautiful 98.4.
But you were also awake, screaming, and needed to be fed an hour early.
Sorry, buddy.
Love, Mumma
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Dominic John - A Birth Story
I copied and pasted Dominic's story from Kate's Library!
I was expecting a baby boy due August 30. Well, he decided he just couldn't wait around in there and greeted the world 3 weeks and 1 day early, on August 8! Dominic John, 6 pounds, 3 ounces, 19.5 inches.
So since he's snoozing in his little bouncy thing at the table with me, and I'm sitting at the computer for the first time in 3 weeks, I feel compelled to share his story with all of you!.
Dennis and I were up early on August 7. He had a dentist appointment, and I wanted to get some work done before picking up Grammy and heading to UNH to run a few errands. Something felt a little "off" that morning and I told Dennis that I'll be calling the OB just to double check. He left, and about 40 minutes later when I stood up to get a cup of coffee my water broke! I called Dennis (who was just about to go into a dentist appointment - good thing I caught him!) and as he drove home I busied myself gathering the essentials. I packed our hospital bag (because that was on my "to-do" list for the week... plenty of time!), grabbed our car seat and instruction manual (once again... plenty of time... it was on my to-do list for the week!), and paced anxiously.
The doctor confirmed that yes, my water had indeed broken, and I should head next door to the hospital. Now. I wasn't having any contractions. Only 2 cm dilated. Most people would have gone home and wait for things to get rolling. However, I had tested positive for some kind of topical strep infection, so I needed to get started on an antibiotic IV. So we spent the day at the hospital. In the deliver room. Without contractions. Just waiting for things to get going.
We waited all day.
Finally around 5pm or so we decided it was time to start the ol' petocin. By 11pm we had regular, strong contractions. Yay! Mumma got her epidural. Yay! (I know there are many who are all about the natural childbirth. But I have to tell you. The epidural was pure magic. I could feel everything that was going on but didn't have pain. We were joking with the doctor and nurses between pushes at the end. So happy I did it!) Fun fact - the anesthesiologist who administered the epidural looked and sounded like Bill Murray. And he explained everything he was doing to this needle-phobic gal. And he was funny. We loved him! Oh yeah, he also took the pain away.
Epidural working its magic, the nurses put Dennis and I to bed. Told us to get some sleep - this baby wasn't going to arrive until morning. So Dennis napped on a cot. And I napped in the bed - and was only slightly annoyed by the blood pressure cuff taking my reading every 20 minutes. My mom and sister-in-law were camped out for the night in the waiting room. Fun fact - if you visit a hospital cafeteria at 3:00am you'll find an odd assortment of fare. Eggs. Bacon. Toast. Chicken fingers. French Fries. It all depends on what end of your day you're visiting... are you there really early, or up really late? (This is my sister-in-law's picture... I wasn't in labor taking pics in the cafeteria!)
4:00am arrives and the doc proclaims me to be 6cm dilated! Woo-hoo! She goes to the OR to deliver twins. 10 minutes later my monitors start doing some funny stuff and the nurses come in and announce that I've moved to 10cm. In 10 minutes. We give the doctor a few minutes to finish up with the twins - they prep the room, I assure them I can certainly hold off pushing, Dennis downs two Red Bulls and gets his game face on.
2 hours of pushing that seem to go by in a flash. Like I said, because of my magic drug we're laughing and making jokes between pushes. Dennis is absolutely amazing - a rock-solid presence for me. Encouraging and making me smile. Who could ask for more?
And the next thing you know, we get this little guy...
Alert and curious - minutes after his arrival!
He's even cuter after his first bath - he was covered in that cheesy-looking stuff because he was so early. Here's some more cuteness.
We
love him! He's a good baby. So far he eats just fine, sleeps fine,
and only fusses and cries when something's up like a wet diaper, gas, or
hunger. Otherwise he'll be awake and alert. Every time he's looking
up at me expectantly at 3 am I remind myself that there are people who
have a screaming baby instead of one that's just super awake and alert!
We're lucky!
He's a huge adjustment, of course. Who knew poo could shoot so far across a room? Who knew that breastfeeding does not really come naturally - it's really hard to figure out?
Here are things we know about Dominic so far. He hates having his arms confined - swaddle from the armpits down, please! He likes to take walks and ride in the car - and by "likes" I mean "sleeps". If you put him in his tub and cover him with a wet, warm cloth diaper he just chillaxes. He burps like an old man after a few cans of Bud.
90% of the time I feel great. The other 10% I'm completely overwhelmed. But I've been told that's how it's supposed to go. Dennis is fantastic with him. I'm lucky in two arenas.
So, this has been occupying my days. And nights. For the past three weeks. Although I am finding time to read! I'm thankful for the Kindle during those late-night feedings. I'm getting in some Les Miserables time, although I think it goes without saying that my post for July is long overdue and the next one will probably be late too. I'll get them posted as I get to those parts of the book.
Hope everyone is well. I'm not going through my google reader as in-depth as usual, but I am keeping up with your posts. Moms and Dads out there - reassure me that life will never be the same, but will return to some kind of normal. I won't be a food source every 3 hours forever, right? :)
I was expecting a baby boy due August 30. Well, he decided he just couldn't wait around in there and greeted the world 3 weeks and 1 day early, on August 8! Dominic John, 6 pounds, 3 ounces, 19.5 inches.
So since he's snoozing in his little bouncy thing at the table with me, and I'm sitting at the computer for the first time in 3 weeks, I feel compelled to share his story with all of you!.
Dennis and I were up early on August 7. He had a dentist appointment, and I wanted to get some work done before picking up Grammy and heading to UNH to run a few errands. Something felt a little "off" that morning and I told Dennis that I'll be calling the OB just to double check. He left, and about 40 minutes later when I stood up to get a cup of coffee my water broke! I called Dennis (who was just about to go into a dentist appointment - good thing I caught him!) and as he drove home I busied myself gathering the essentials. I packed our hospital bag (because that was on my "to-do" list for the week... plenty of time!), grabbed our car seat and instruction manual (once again... plenty of time... it was on my to-do list for the week!), and paced anxiously.
The doctor confirmed that yes, my water had indeed broken, and I should head next door to the hospital. Now. I wasn't having any contractions. Only 2 cm dilated. Most people would have gone home and wait for things to get rolling. However, I had tested positive for some kind of topical strep infection, so I needed to get started on an antibiotic IV. So we spent the day at the hospital. In the deliver room. Without contractions. Just waiting for things to get going.
We waited all day.
Finally around 5pm or so we decided it was time to start the ol' petocin. By 11pm we had regular, strong contractions. Yay! Mumma got her epidural. Yay! (I know there are many who are all about the natural childbirth. But I have to tell you. The epidural was pure magic. I could feel everything that was going on but didn't have pain. We were joking with the doctor and nurses between pushes at the end. So happy I did it!) Fun fact - the anesthesiologist who administered the epidural looked and sounded like Bill Murray. And he explained everything he was doing to this needle-phobic gal. And he was funny. We loved him! Oh yeah, he also took the pain away.
Epidural working its magic, the nurses put Dennis and I to bed. Told us to get some sleep - this baby wasn't going to arrive until morning. So Dennis napped on a cot. And I napped in the bed - and was only slightly annoyed by the blood pressure cuff taking my reading every 20 minutes. My mom and sister-in-law were camped out for the night in the waiting room. Fun fact - if you visit a hospital cafeteria at 3:00am you'll find an odd assortment of fare. Eggs. Bacon. Toast. Chicken fingers. French Fries. It all depends on what end of your day you're visiting... are you there really early, or up really late? (This is my sister-in-law's picture... I wasn't in labor taking pics in the cafeteria!)
4:00am arrives and the doc proclaims me to be 6cm dilated! Woo-hoo! She goes to the OR to deliver twins. 10 minutes later my monitors start doing some funny stuff and the nurses come in and announce that I've moved to 10cm. In 10 minutes. We give the doctor a few minutes to finish up with the twins - they prep the room, I assure them I can certainly hold off pushing, Dennis downs two Red Bulls and gets his game face on.
2 hours of pushing that seem to go by in a flash. Like I said, because of my magic drug we're laughing and making jokes between pushes. Dennis is absolutely amazing - a rock-solid presence for me. Encouraging and making me smile. Who could ask for more?
And the next thing you know, we get this little guy...
He's even cuter after his first bath - he was covered in that cheesy-looking stuff because he was so early. Here's some more cuteness.
He's a huge adjustment, of course. Who knew poo could shoot so far across a room? Who knew that breastfeeding does not really come naturally - it's really hard to figure out?
Here are things we know about Dominic so far. He hates having his arms confined - swaddle from the armpits down, please! He likes to take walks and ride in the car - and by "likes" I mean "sleeps". If you put him in his tub and cover him with a wet, warm cloth diaper he just chillaxes. He burps like an old man after a few cans of Bud.
90% of the time I feel great. The other 10% I'm completely overwhelmed. But I've been told that's how it's supposed to go. Dennis is fantastic with him. I'm lucky in two arenas.
So, this has been occupying my days. And nights. For the past three weeks. Although I am finding time to read! I'm thankful for the Kindle during those late-night feedings. I'm getting in some Les Miserables time, although I think it goes without saying that my post for July is long overdue and the next one will probably be late too. I'll get them posted as I get to those parts of the book.
Hope everyone is well. I'm not going through my google reader as in-depth as usual, but I am keeping up with your posts. Moms and Dads out there - reassure me that life will never be the same, but will return to some kind of normal. I won't be a food source every 3 hours forever, right? :)
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Home Alone 3
Dominic is 3 weeks old today!
...and believe it or not, this is actually the third day we've been home alone together. We have such supportive family and friends - and everyone's been helpful visiting and lending a hand. My mom has been pretty helpful - mostly as a grounding force for me. She visits but lets me do my "mommy stuff" and offers help or suggestions in a good way.
Yesterday we went to Barnes & Noble with Grammy. While Gram was browsing cards she could see my anxiety - out in a public place with a baby who just had a bottle but could cry at any second and looks like he's getting antsy... Finally she asked me what's the worst thing that could happen (he could totally flip out and start crying in this quiet cafe), and what would you do (I'd just keep carrying him, put my diaper bag in the stroller, wheel him outside, and get him in the carrier outside away from everyone in the cafe). So there, nothing to be nervous about. I have an escape route.
So today has been a good day for me mentally because I'm doing my normal stuff for the first time, only with a baby here at home. It's a lot of work trying to figure out how, as it says in my subheading, not to lose myself when the day is a blur of nursing and diapers. It's something Dennis and I talked a lot about before we decided to have a baby. It's important for both of us to retain personality beyond "Mommy and Daddy". I'm overwhelmed less when I feel like we're able to do things we did before - only this time with a baby, and with a lot more prep and thought. No more running to the beach on a whim, or taking a drive to work to grab something I need. I can still do these things, but with more preparation.
Today was a good start.
...and believe it or not, this is actually the third day we've been home alone together. We have such supportive family and friends - and everyone's been helpful visiting and lending a hand. My mom has been pretty helpful - mostly as a grounding force for me. She visits but lets me do my "mommy stuff" and offers help or suggestions in a good way.
Yesterday we went to Barnes & Noble with Grammy. While Gram was browsing cards she could see my anxiety - out in a public place with a baby who just had a bottle but could cry at any second and looks like he's getting antsy... Finally she asked me what's the worst thing that could happen (he could totally flip out and start crying in this quiet cafe), and what would you do (I'd just keep carrying him, put my diaper bag in the stroller, wheel him outside, and get him in the carrier outside away from everyone in the cafe). So there, nothing to be nervous about. I have an escape route.
So today has been a good day for me mentally because I'm doing my normal stuff for the first time, only with a baby here at home. It's a lot of work trying to figure out how, as it says in my subheading, not to lose myself when the day is a blur of nursing and diapers. It's something Dennis and I talked a lot about before we decided to have a baby. It's important for both of us to retain personality beyond "Mommy and Daddy". I'm overwhelmed less when I feel like we're able to do things we did before - only this time with a baby, and with a lot more prep and thought. No more running to the beach on a whim, or taking a drive to work to grab something I need. I can still do these things, but with more preparation.
Today was a good start.
Look who's 3 weeks!
Hello world! I'm 3 weeks old today!!! I stole this idea from Summer and her bunny pictures with her Maddybear. Since I don't have a stuffed animal big enough to do the job, I thought this was appropriate! :)
We had to have a costume change after an unfortunate incident involving pee and a wet onesie. Let's see if we get him to pose like this when he's 18. ;)
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