The First Week

The first week of Heath's life, I tried to recover from my tear as a result of having a 9 pound baby come out of a 120 pound girl. 

I have to admit, I was not prepared to have such a big baby. I was expecting to have Heath and then after a day or so jump in the car and move down to Florida, but that didn't exactly happen :)

I'm tough, but not that tough!

I am so grateful that my mom was able to stay by my side every single day for the first 6 weeks after Heath was born, not to mention the first few days.

Just as any newborn would, Heath slept, ate, pooped, and repeated that very routine for the first two weeks of his life. It was simple taking care of him! We fell into the routine very easily.

The hard part was the move on top of my recovery and wanting to spend every waking minute with my brand new baby. 

I wasn't nearly as far done packing as I had hoped when I delivered Heath. Once my mom arrived in town, the week before Heath was born, we got busy making things for Heath (blankets, diapers, diaper bags, you name it, we were trying to make it). 

All that stressful moving stuff kinda fell by the way side. I figured I'd get back on track once Heath arrived.

I was so wrong.

Once Heath came, I fell head over heels for him. I couldn't put him down and I didn't (and haven't). I just wanted to spoil that little guy with all the hugs and kisses in the world and I did! 

His chubby cheeks make it extra easy!

I'm sure I'll be chastised, and I know better, but I slept with Heath on my chest every night for the first two weeks. I absolutely loved it! And if Dan would let me, I would still sleep with him at night. I absolutely love skin to skin. I really think it let my milk come in really well!

I feel so blessed to have such a great breast feeding baby with great milk supply! Heath loves to eat :) As  you can easily tell by his rolls :)

Needless to say, moving day was stressful, but I don't mind having one day out of 14 be terrible if all the others were filled with me loving on my sweet baby Heath. 

Heath has me wrapped around his tiny little finger. He has opened up a new spot in my heart that I never knew existed. 

Two days after having Heath, I was talking to Dan on the phone and told him I wanted to have more kids. Dan was rather shocked. 

He reminded me of one particular time during Heath's delivery when I looked Dan straight in the face and said in a very stern voice, "Get this baby out of me, NOW!"

We laugh about it now, but in that moment, I was in so much pain. Honestly, I don't remember what exactly it felt like, but I do remember it was the worst pain I have ever felt. Thank goodness for my forgetfulness :) 

Really, I don't care how painful it is to get them here. I don't care if I have to have a c-section. If every child I have can bring as much joy into my life as Heath has, pencil me in  sign me up for 10 more kids! 

Here are a few pictures of what life was like back when Heath was my tiny little one week old baby boy! 

Sleeping in his car seat while we eat!

Heath can burp like a big boy! No joke!

So alert!

Sleeping with grandma Kelle

I tried to pick my favorite, but that ended up being pretty much all the pictures that Carson and I took!

Look at those dimples!

His smile tightens the strings around my heart!

I love when Heath yawns & sneezes!

My little man is such a flirt!

His hands are little man hands!

Still working on getting that stump to fall off!

I love Heath's side smile! (He has a LOT of different types of smiles)

My little angel!

Picture overload:

First Doctor Appointment!

At your first doctor appointment, Heath was back up to his birth weight. He weighed in at 9lbs 4.8 ounces! That was also the last day I tried to squeeze him into newborn outfits! He was just too incredibly big!

He's still so small for such a big guy!

Thanks uncle Jeff & Aunt Lori for the adorable outfit!

June 24th

Dear Heath,

     Grandma made us breakfast in bed so we didn’t have to get up and do much at all. Grandma made us lunch and did the laundry. Mom got up and cleaned up her room and took care of you all day. My friend Elizabeth and her mom, Jean, came and visited you! They brought you some new outfits! Today was the first time you spit up a TON after I fed. It really scared me! Dad called in the evening and we talked to him for awhile. He misses you so much. You were awake from 1-3am. You ate, pooped, ate, pooped and then finally fell asleep to wake up again at 5am and eat and poop again and again at 7am and 9am… Oh, I just love you!

June 23rd

My little boy,
    After your doctor came to see you in the morning and after mom’s doctor came to see her, we were able to go home from the hospital. You weighed 8lbs and 13 ounces although you ate and ate. We talked to the lactation specialist and mom got lots and lots of tips on how to position you for better breast feeding. Your latch is so fantastic. It’s like you came out knowing how to breast feed and it’s me who needs to learn how to help you do it. It’s so fascinating how you are able to show me when you are hungry by the little cues you use. I love cuddling with you and holding you. Breast feeding you gives us lots and lots of time for bonding and cuddling. We had to stop at Wal Mart for mom’s pain medication prescription. You did so good and slept the entire time. Mom and grandma were extremely worried that you would get sick from all the other people at the store, so we kept you bundled up in the car seat. A woman asked to see you and I let her peek in at you, but I made sure she stood several feet away from you! When we got home from the hospital, we cuddled and lounged around in mom’s room all day and night long, so we could recover some more from your delivery. Grandma Kelle was surprised that I didn’t need any help taking care of you the first night we were home from the hospital. She came into my room every time you cried any or made a noise for that matter, but we never needed any help. You were so good although you were awake for most of the night. 

June 22nd

My sweet baby,
The morning after you were born, you had your circumcision. You were a very sleepy boy after you came back from the procedure. Your nurses said that everything went well and that you had a binky with sugar on it and some Tylenol. Around one in the afternoon, dad had to leave and drive to Florida to start his residency. Dad was very sad to leave. Mom cried, but felt better when she held you close. Grandma Kelle stayed the night with us at the hospital and so did Uncle Carson.

Mom was so glad to have them stay and help. Today you weighed in at 9lbs 2 ounces. We cuddled all night and laid skin to skin, which helped mom’s milk come in better.

June 21st

Dear Heath, 

    On Friday, your daddy, grandma Kelle, and I came to the hospital so that we could finally get to meet you! We arrived at the hospital around 6 in the morning. After I got settled into our birthing room, the medication to start my contractions was started. My nurse connected us to two monitors. One monitored your heart rate and one monitored my contractions. The nurse told me I was having contractions and I couldn’t even feel them. 

 Around 8 in the morning, my doctor broke my water, which felt very warm. Then around 10 in the morning, I started marching in place and bouncing on the birthing ball since my contractions weren’t painful. All of this movement and the medication really started making my contractions very painful. Dad gave me a lot of back, hip, and foot massages to help the contractions not feel so painful. He also marched in place with me and helped me bounce on the birthing ball. Dad kept my pitcher of water filled, so we wouldn’t get too thirsty. Around 11:30 my contractions started to occur every minute and the pain got to be so bad that I finally asked for an epidural. Finally, around noon, the anesthesiologist placed my epidural. It only hurt when he poked me with the numbing medicine. At first only my right leg went numb and I could feel a lot of pressure and pain down my left leg and left side of my abdomen, but then after rolling over from side to side a few times, I no longer felt any pain. Then I started feeling sad that I couldn’t feel pain and that you were still being squeezed by the contractions. When the nurse checked me, I was dilated to 5 or 6cm. Eventually, I fell asleep for about an hour. Around 1:30, the nurse checked me and I was dilated to a 10 and your head was a 2 plus station. Our nurse called my doctor. She said she would be up after seeing her patients at the clinic, but the doctor wanted me to start pushing. The first hour of pushing was really easy. I tried all types of pushing techniques (tug of war, kneeling, on my back, on my side, etc.). The nurse would only allow me to have my epidural basal dose and nothing else so after the first hour of pushing I could feel everything. During the second hour of pushing, I was very thirsty and hot, so dad got me a fan and kept giving me sips of water to drink. Grandma Kelle and dad counted as I pushed and reminded me of when to breathe. Grandma was worried I was pushing too hard when my face would get red and she could see my veins popping out of my forehead. Despite all of the pushing for so long, you never showed any signs of stress. It took so long to push you out since your head was so big. Every time I pushed, your head would crown, but once I took a breath, your head would disappear. My nurse kept telling me to "push through it," but I knew if I "pushed through it" I would break. Once my doctor arrived, she got things going to the point where I felt I could really push you out. Once my doctor arrived you were out in 15 minutes! At one point, I was in so much pain that I looked at your dad and told him he had to get you out now!!!! When my doctor said I only had 3 pushes left, I pushed 5 more times and out you came! Once you were born, you were put on my chest and I got to hold you. You were a little blue and purple. Your apgar scores were 8 and 9, which were only for your color (acrocyanosis).

The first time I got to hold you! I was a little surprised at how fast you came out and were on my chest in a flash!

Daddy had to take a peek!

You had so much vernix on you that the doctor thought you could have stayed in for a few more weeks! Imagine how big you would have been if you had stayed in any longer! 

 Once you were born the doctor's eyes widened. You were a lot bigger than any of us thought you would be. 

Right away I nursed you. You did such a good job nursing! You have such a tight latch. 

After nursing you, you were cleaned up by the nurses. Dad took lots of pictures and helped the nurses with everything they were doing to you. 

They gave you your shots and I started to cry because you were crying and there was nothing I could do to make you feel better. Grandma cried too.

The nurses had to take your blood sugar for the first 12 hours after you were born since you were such a big boy! You fit in size one diapers the minute you were born.

Daddy wouldn't leave your side!

 Finally, my epidural was taken out and I was given oral pain medicine. The first time I got out of bed to go to the bathroom after I had you, I nearly passed out, but daddy caught me! I ordered dinner and grandma went home to our house to make dinner for Uncle Carson. Your first visitors were our friends, Maggie, and her husband, Seth. It was so fun having visitors coo over how cute you were! Daddy dressed you in your first outfit, which was also the only one that I brought to the hospital that fit you! All of the other newborn outfits were too small! 

You have the best daddy in the world! He was in love with you the second he knew I was pregnant and he will forever love you!

Dad held you for a long time and bounced you on his chest. You loved being held by dad so much you fell asleep. Dad stayed the night with us. We woke up every time you made a noise. You spit up just a little bit and it scared me because you gagged on it. The doctor wasn’t worried about it in the morning when we talked to them about it. They thought it was amniotic fluid from the delivery. You slept a little bit the night you were born. Dad and I would guess you probably slept for about 4 hours, but you weren’t very fussy except when you were hungry :) You were very alert and I couldn't help but stare at you all night! Around 4am the nurses took you to the nursery for hearing testing, which really helped dad and I get some sleep. You would make little baby noises (moan, sigh, whimper, etc.) every once in a while. It was so cute! Daddy and I love you so much! Happy Birthday!