My Little Boy was born December 27, 2013...yes my due date was January 30, 2014, but he wanted to come early at 35/1 weeks. He weighed in at 4 lbs. 9 oz. 17 in. He was in NICU for 7 days. That was the longest 7 days, but so worth it for him getting better and able to come home. Since he was so early he didn't have his sucking down right so he wasn't eating the recommend ML's for his size. At first he didn't have a feeding tube, but day 3-4 he had to get one cause he just wasn't eating enough. He dropped down to 4 lbs. He also had the Billy Ruben blanket put on him, he looked like a little glow worm. That day when they put the tube in and had him wrapped I didn't know til I got to the NICU for our morning visit and the Dr, and Nurses were doing their rounds to each station, when we walked in they just got to his, I got over to my little guy not paying to much attention at the time to him with tube and blanket cause the Dr was talking to me while I was putting my stuff down(explain all that in a bit) and he told me about the tube and blanket, when I saw my little guy all I could do was cry, I know my little guy didn't have to be in one of the inclosed bassinets like other preemie babies, but seeing him like that upset me so much. I have no idea how other parents handle all those emotions. He had the little eye glasses covering eyes, the tube taped to his little face, and that big blanket wrapped around him, I just lost it. The Dr and nurses explained he was okay, just being a little stubborn and had a touch of jaundice. We always went in for 2 visits a day morning visit and evening visit. I would go home and pump and get things ready for him when he is able to come home, since only thing I had unpacked from my shower was the crib. It was put up the day I turned 35 weeks......
Remember I packed all my craft supplies cause we were moving?! well we got moved at the beginning of Dec. Got most of our things unpacked (we still don't have everything unpacked), got settled in, had all my appts and they were starting to go down to every week after my 36 week check up. So my last OB visit was at 34 weeks, little guy measured at 4 lbs, heartbeat is great, was cleared to travel two hours away for Christmas. We go back home to our parents had a great Christmas at my parents, had Christmas at my SIL...and that's where it went weird. That whole day I didn't really care to be around anyone, I was freezing, and my MIL was being a real pain in my you know what...UGH. I had no cramping or anything, I just placed it as being tired. The next morning we get up on the 26th and we head back home to our place, I was feeling great, tired, but glad to be home and away from my MIL. So hubby and I started working on the crib, I just helped hold it up while he did stuff(no picking up anything heavy). Well the day was going great almost done with crib and he gets a call from his Mother....UGH...she had the nerve to call her car insurance company to ask them if it was safe to use snow suits in car seats..now back up a day at Christmas..she argued with me cause they ARE NOT SAFE TO HAVE ON IN CAR SEAT, I Repeat NOT SAFE!!! Yes, they sell them and people think oh they are too keep baby warm, but they are not. She was so mad arguing that they were safe. Her insurance said ''Sure they are safe" I instantly flipped out over the phone. Reasoning for this argument she bought the baby a snow suit and I said the baby will wear this but not in car seat and she got mad. So I was pretty stressed from that, hubby hung up on her. Even his NICU nurse who is certified car seat installer said NO SNOW SUITS on them in the seat..she was mad at my MIL. She explained to me its like if say we have a down coat on with the seat belt on, we get in a crash there is extra padding there and the seat belt isn't as tight cause to be ejected. She said its the same for the baby. Yes they are strapped in, but the coats, and suits are too thick. Yes they can wear the small thin coats, but just cover them with a blanket and take it off it car, they sweat while in car seat and you don't want them over heat. So y'all know my MIL still argues with me about it.
TMI...TMI...TMI
So later that day I take my normal night shower before bed cause so if I did go into labor I at least had a shower..lol Well that night I went to the bathroom 4 times before 1 AM..normally it was 3 times the whole night. When I woke up at 1 to go I felt like I couldn't hold my own pee and it was running down my leg. I get to the bathroom went and it wouldn't stop after the pee stopped, I'm like UH OH! I go in wake hubby up saying something isn't right, I keep gushing water. He said lay down see if maybe thats what it is..so I laid down and that's when the mild cramps started. I felt like I had to go again. Got up and he heard it gush, he was like look it up online...lol (mind you we just had a birthing class on the 14th of Dec) I knew what it was. He told me call the on call, I'm like no we need to get to hospital. So hospital is only 10-15 min from here. We get there around 2 AM at the ER and they got me wheeled up to Labor triage, the nurse comes in says "you're not gushing blood like they said" I'm like Huh?! I said i never said that, said I was gushing water, my water broke. See the ER don't know how to handle pregnant women so they just get you up to Labor super fast. Since it was before 8 AM I couldn't go straight to Labor and Delivery, I had to go to ER first. The nurse said "sweetie you aren't going home, you are having a baby today" I look at my hubby scared cause I'm only 35 weeks. He called my mom told her what was going on and said we call back once they got me in my labor room. So I get in my room and I'm going thru all the papers, getting hooked up to everything, my IV, signing papers etc. My mom lives two hours away, so she had plenty of time to get there. I wasn't even the tip of my pinky finger dilated. Everything is going great so far no real pains yet, only thing hurt was when they give me antibiotic in my IV since he was early(yes we knew the gender, but no one else did). I had nothing ready no hospital bag packed yet, we planned on getting what else we needed for baby and pack my bag that sunday the 29th.
Hubby and I planned way before arrival that no one will even be at the hospital while I'm having the baby except him, my mom, and my sister if she was able to be there. So no calls went out to anyone that I was in labor. I didn't want his mom or sister there, they caused me enough stress during my pregnancy I didn't want that while I'm in labor. As the day went on pain started getting more, so I had the epidural done at 4 centimeters. They sat me up in a chair and that seemed to help progress my dilating. By 8pm I was starting to push, he was ready to arrive. I pushed for awhile, than came 8:44pm I pushed one last time and little guy arrived. It was amazing, the most amazing thing I have ever experienced in my life. He was so active and ready to go. Also so tiny. They got him in the little heat bed and did all the normal stuff, I only held him for a few minutes cause they had to get him to NICU, I cried and cried, but they kept me calm and told me he's in great hands. As the Dr was finishing up my stuff she told me that I did a Great Job during labor and that I was the picture perfect delivery..lol I'm like um ok..lol She said me not having a bunch of people in and out of my room kept me relaxed, plus I also did yoga before my pregnancy, so that helped a lot. My mom was in the room with hubby when little guy was born, she cut the cord. They asked me, I said no cause I was shaking so bad, they asked hubby, he said no cause he was nervous, so they asked my mom so Grammie got to cut her first grand baby's cord. My sister was out in the waiting room and my mom went to get her. Her and my hubby went to NCIU to get pictures, but she wasn't allowed in :'( only parents and grandparents. Due to it being flu season. She did get to see him though for a little bit. She was really upset and so was I, cause that's her first little nephew, but she understood, she works in the medical field. They told me it be a 24hr observation in NICU and before I went to the mother's room(my room) that I can come down to see him.
They took me down, and I was so emotional seeing him all hooked up to machines and it was just over whelming to see. I held him for the first time in NICU and it was amazing. He was so tiny and precious. I was there for 20 min or so and they had to take me to my new room, plus they had to do some other testing on him. So I get to my room, at 11 or so that night, got me some subway...Yum..I was starving, and a sub was so good seeing I had GD gestational diabetes, I didn't eat carbs. I kept to a diet to keep my numbers low. After eating I was able to go down an visit him, do skin to skin/kangaroo care. I was so in love with this little gift I couldn't stop crying. I thank God everyday for blessing us with our little boy Ethan. They told me in NICU that it will be a few days before he can go home, and that I'll go home before he will, that broke my heart., but I understood.
He had no room and wanted out. I only gained 8 lbs , I gained 12 but lost some when I went on the GD diet. Having GD is not what caused him to come early, he had no room, and was just ready. They said he may have gotten to 5 lbs, but I wouldn't have gotten much bigger. If anything the GD would made me go to 40 weeks.
(I won't go into detail of the 7 day NICU stay) I did pump so he could have my milk, plus formula to help get him strong. My goal was to pump for 3 months and I did. Today I just took back the pump I rented. It was hard pumping and holding him cause he hates being on his back. That whole not liking being on his back started about 3 days before his 1 month check up. Plus he has/had reflux so they gave him zantac. That helped a little bit, but he loves the warmth from us so we hold him a lot. I would hold him on my bare chest at night to sleep. I did do my goal of pumping, but I wanted to go on longer, but with him wanting a bottle instead of latching on( yes he latched on, but wasn't getting enough and wanted bottle) it was wearing me down trying to pump 5-6 times a day. I am happy with him getting the 3 months of my milk he did so great.
He is 3 months now and I say weighing in at 10 lbs. Growing like crazy...when other moms told me that time goes by so fast enjoy it...they weren't joking. To go from super tiny preemie clothes, to now 3 months cause he's getting long, the NB stuff is getting short on him, but the 3 months are big..lol He's gonna be tall like his daddy. He still don't like being on his back, so hubby sleeps with him now on his chest, cause he's so much bigger that my breast are too big and neither of us get comfy to sleep all night. We have tried everything suggested for getting him on his back, and nothing is working. So we will do what we feel is best, and his Dr said do what we have to, but keep close eye on him, and we do.
I miss making craft projects..so that is one reason I am not back to blogging and crafting, when hes able to be in a bouncy seat and not cry, or a jumper gym thing I'll start card making again. I know there are so many new things out..like the Cricut explore..does anyone have it? Do you like it? I did make him letters for his room using he Pooh Font...just gotta get them done and painted. I won't be posting his pic here since its a pubic page. If I have emailed you in the past and talked to you thru email, let me know and I'll show you pics there. My email is slynne1 at gmail dot com. Just let me know why you are emailing in subject line.
MY TIP for New to be Moms:
You see how many pinterest post there are for hospital bags and what to pack. I'm tell you in my honest opinion I am okay not having a bag packed, I didn't have one since he was so early. I used everything the hospital provided. I stayed in my gown cause they checked me so much, it would have been a pain pulling my pants up and down all the time. I used their pads, their undies they provide, everything I used. the only thing I wanted of mine was my Toothpaste, toothbrush, and shampoos. Hubby went and got those for me. I wasn't in the hospital that long to need cute outfits for myself, and since Ethan was in NICU there was no real pictures taken while in my room. Plus when your baby is in NICU your looks go out the door and fast. All you care about is that baby. So ladies if you ever not have your bag packed just know you are okay. My hospital supplied so much I had the hook up. Just check before hand what your hospital provides and take advantage of it. Don't go spending hundreds on things you don't really need. this is my opinion..everyone is different.
I hope everyone is doing well. We are great, ready for warm weather to get out an walk. I miss visiting the blog, but it just makes it hard to do stuff, and when I do have free time I am usually taking a long bath or a long nap. I do want more kids, maybe one more in the near future..not like next month or so. I loved being pregnant, it was amazing. I just hope my next is this easy :) :) Have a great day everyone!! BIG HUGS!!!
Sheena
