Jackson's First 3 Weeks

Needless to say, the last three weeks have definitely been an adjustment, hence the delay in all of my blog updates! :)  Immediately after his birth, I started breastfeeding Jackson.  Luckily, Jackson latched well from the start and breastfeeding seemed to go pretty well.  At his one week checkup, he weighed 7 lbs and 15.4 ounces, almost back up to his original birth weight.  His pediatrician was very pleased with this and commented that breastfed babies typically take a little longer to get back to their birth weight.  He was a little yellow at this appointment so the doctor went ahead and checked his bilirubin level.  After going home, we received a call from the doctor who told us his bilirubin level was a little high and asked that we return the following day for it to be rechecked.  She explained that if his level hadn't dropped, we would need to take him back to the hospital for some time in the "tanning bed."  :)  Thankfully, after being rechecked, his levels had gone down so there was no need for us to return to the hospital!  The following week, Jackson started having lots of tummy problems and the doctor felt he was experiencing some lactose intolerance (an issue his daddy also shares).  She recommended that I cut dairy out of my diet, along with any spicy foods or beans, to help reduce Jackson's pain.  Although this was much harder than I thought, I followed this recommendation for another week, but Jackson continued to be in a lot of pain after eating.  I took Jackson back to the doctor and, upon further evaluation, the doctor quickly realized Jackson was battling acid reflux in addition to the lactose intolerance.  She prescribed Zantac for him, which seemed to help.  Unfortunately, Jackson continued to have a lot of issues related to my breast milk, so we decided to switch to a hypoallergenic formula to reduce his pain.  Although Jackson's acid reflux continues to be an issue and we've had to make some adjustments to his medicine as well as start thickening his formula, the formula has helped with his lactose intolerance.  I'm hoping as he gets a little older, his acid reflux will become less of an issue.  At his checkup this week, he weighed 9 lbs 6 ounces so thankfully, as of now, his acid reflux isn't affecting his weight gain. 

Over the past few weeks, we have learned several things about our sweet boy!  We quickly discovered that Jackson HATES being undressed and having his diaper changed, but loves being held (of course!), getting baths, and riding in the car.  Although he hated it at first, he has started liking his swing.  His sleep over the first two and a half weeks was very inconsistent as he struggled with his sensitive tummy.  Luckily, over the last week, he has started sleeping a little better at night and he even slept a 5 hour stretch last night!  He eats approximately 3 ounces of formula every 2 1/2 - 3 hours during the day and every 3 - 4 hours at night.  It's so hard to believe how much he changes every day!  Although the last few weeks have been tough, we couldn't love this sweet little boy more! 

Headed to the doctor for Jackson's one week checkup

Hospital Stay

Shortly after Jackson's arrival, my sister and parents went home to get some sleep.  Eric and I were starving, and of course the cafeteria was closed, so Eric left to grab us some breakfast.  After eating, we spent time with Jackson while waiting to be transferred to our post-delivery room.  Once we were finally moved, we asked our friends and family to give us a few hours to rest as, at this point, we had almost been up 24 hours.  After getting a few hours of sleep, several of our friends and family came to meet Jackson!  We spent the afternoon with our visitors and then let Jackson spend the night in the nursery so we could get some more sleep.  Luckily, since my delivery had gone smoothly, we were able to go home early Sunday afternoon.  I was sooo ready to be home and in my own bed!

Jackson and Aunt Hayley

Jackson and Grandma Shirley

Jackson and Mimi Doreena 

Jackson and Grandpa Mike

 

Jackson and Grandpa Jack

Jackson and Uncle Dunn

Jackson and Matt

Jackson and Uncle David

Jackson and Chelsea

Look at that sweet face! :)

 

Going home!

Jackson's Arrival

When I went to my doctor's appointment on Wednesday, July 3rd, my doctor told me that I still hadn't progressed.  She said she wanted to see me the following Wednesday for my 40th week appointment and stated if Jackson hadn't arrived by then, she would schedule for me to be induced before July 17th.  However, Jackson had plans of his own!  Friday, July 5th, started off like every other day.  I got up and went to work as normal, feeling completely fine!  Around 10:30 that morning, I began feeling what I thought to be my amniotic fluid slowly leaking, but being a first time mom, I wasn't completely sure as it was very little rather than that huge rupture that comes to mind when thinking about your water breaking.  I waited a little while, but when this feeling continued, I decided to call Baptist's L&D department.  They advised me to go ahead and come in to get checked.  I, of course, went home first to get my bag, knowing they wouldn't let me leave once I got to the hospital if it was indeed my water leaking.  I let Zoe out to potty and grabbed a quick snack (who knew how long it would be before I got to eat again!).  I called Eric, my sister, and my parents, letting everyone know to wait until I was sure it was my water breaking before heading to the hospital.  I got to Baptist and was put in a triage room around 1:20 pm.  Shortly after being checked by a nurse, my water broke fully and I was admitted.  One of the things I have dreaded most throughout my pregnancy, for some reason, was the possibility that my doctor wouldn't deliver Jackson.  I knew that if I went into labor and delivered at night or on the weekend, I would be dealing with whichever doctor was on call.  Luckily, I was informed after being admitted that my doctor just happened to be on call that weekend.  It was just meant to be!  I called Eric and my family and gave them the go ahead to come to the hospital!  Even though my water broke, I still hadn't progressed.  My doctor started Pitocin around 3:00 pm and I was slow to progress throughout the afternoon.  The staff discussed the need to increase my Pitocin at frequent intervals, about every 15 minutes, as my doctor stated she would like me to deliver within 12 hours of my water breaking.  Needless to say, with the frequent Pitocin increases, my contractions quickly became extremely painful.  I must say I have a whole new respect for women who deliver babies naturally!  I got my epidural around 7:30 pm and, thankfully, quickly got relief!  I slowly, but gradually, progressed throughout the evening, but around 9:30 pm, the nurses talked to me about how I was approaching the 12 hour mark and explained that my doctor typically likes to move forward with a C-section at this point to avoid the risk of infection.  Luckily, I was assured I had a say in this, as I wanted to avoid a C-section if possible.  We decided to give it a few more hours, as I was progressing well  (at this point I was fully effaced and dilated to 6).  Continued Pitocin increases started affecting Jackson's heartbeat so several adjustments were made over the next few hours.  Thankfully, they managed to keep Jackson's heart rate where it should be and I continued to progress.  About 3:00 am, the nurses said I was ready to start pushing and called for the doctor.   Jackson arrived at 3:23 am, weighing 7 lbs 15.9 ounces and measuring 20 1/2 inches long, with Eric, Hayley, and my parents present!!  Eric cut the umbilical cord and Jackson was put on my chest for some skin-to-skin time.  He had some problems catching his breath so he was taken to NICU to get his lungs completely cleared.  He was quickly returned to our room and we spent the next several hours admiring our sweet boy!   I'm so grateful for all of our family, including my sister, my parents, Eric's parents, and Eric's brother, for their support during my labor and delivery and throughout my stay at the hospital!  I'm also extremely thankful for such a smooth labor and delivery and for the birth of a healthy baby boy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look at that hair!!

 

4th of July

So, this post is almost a month overdue!  Looking back, it's hard to believe the 4th of July was just a day before I went into labor!  I started the holiday by working a few hours, trying to get some last minute tasks taken care of before being off for my maternity leave.  Who knew those few hours of work would be so needed!  After being lazy throughout the afternoon, Eric and I went downtown to eat dinner with my sister, brother-in-law, and some of Dunn's friends who were visiting.  After dinner, we met up with some friends in the River Market to watch the fireworks.  We had a great time and enjoyed being outside, especially with the slightly cooler weather! 

39 Weeks

(It's so had to believe this was just a little over 3 weeks ago!)