1 month check-up

It's hard to believe that I have a 1 month old! I took Drew to his 1 month appointment today. He's looking good. He's continuing to gain weight (7 pounds 15 ounces, 5th percentile) and he's now 20 inches long (3rd percentile).

He's starting to be more alert and his coos are adorable! We got him a swing which has been wonderful as he likes movement and it gives me a break, especially since Mike has now returned to work.

I've decided that instead of making a new blog, I'm just going to keep updating this one. Easier and for those who follow via a RSS feed you don't have to change. FYI - anyone who uses google reader, remember that it is disappearing as of July 1st. Feedly is a good substitute (I'm using it) and there are a bunch of other possibilities.

We dressed him up in this outfit to go visit with friends the other day. 

Quality Drew & Dad time while watching the Bruins. 

If anyone is interested, we have gotten newborn pictures taken. They look awesome! Send me a message and I can provide the link if anyone is interested.

newborn pictures!

We took Drew to get his newborn pictures done today by one of ours friends who is an amazing photographer. It was a little bit of a drive as his studio is south east of Hartford, CT. But it was so worth it. The raw pictures we were shown were just amazing and I can't wait until his posts the proofs.

I ended up calling Drew's doctor today as he has had some eye crustiness. They are about 95% sure that he has a blocked tear duct. They did sent a culture to the lab just to be on the safe side. He was weighed today and he has gained almost a pound since his last appointment about a week and a half ago. He's now up to 6 pounds, 10.5 ounces! I guess I didn't have to worry about him not getting enough to eat.

feeding issues

I've made the decision to switch to exclusively pumping and bottle feeding. After 2 weeks of struggling with breastfeeding where both Drew and I have gotten frustrated, it was time to try something new. It also didn't help that he was up for 2.5 hours this morning where he fed on and off for that whole period of time.

Mike was able to feed him not too long ago and he seemed much happier by the end opposed to when I try to breastfeed him. I'm glad that I have a dual electric pump that works very well. It'll also cut down on the time it takes to feed him. 15 minutes to pump plus 15-20 minutes to bottle feed him opposed to 30-40 minutes per side.

If anyone is looking for pictures, they can be found here: http://kames12.imgur.com

2 week post delivery appointment

My blood pressure is back to normal! 112/80, which is so much better than 2 weeks ago. They are checking me again next week to make sure that I'm completely back to normal. And not to completely brag, but I'm almost down to my pre-pregnancy weight. Which makes my theory that I was just retaining a ton of fluids more plausible as I'm not really swollen anymore.

I can drive again shortly, which I'm excited about. I need more nursing related attire since I only have 1 tank top and one shirt. I can't exercise for another 4 weeks and by exercise, I was told can start going on walks in about 4 weeks, maybe in another 2 but that might be pushing it. After everything that I went through 2 weeks ago, I'm fine with taking it easy.

I'm debating starting a new blog to document the life of Drew. If I do, I'll post the address here. If I do, it'll probably be a little more generic than just Drew but mainly focused around him.

We'll be able to send out birth announcements shortly as we're getting Drew's newborn photos taken really shortly. Mike and I haven't had any formal pictures of us taken since we were married. So it works out since we're close to our 5th year anniversary.

Drew's birth story

I was put on modified bed rest on May 21st due to my blood pressure being really high. My number of appointments increased as well as adding weekly ultrasounds and non-stress tests (NSTs).

At my next appointment on Thursday, my blood pressure was sky high (150/96). They gave me the go ahead to drive home to pack. Mike was already home and had starting finishing putting the bags together. We got to the hospital around 5:45pm. My cervix was only 1cm dilated and was high. They started me on meds to reduce my blood pressure and also put me on magnesium sulfate. Within a few hours, they inserted a pill (forget the name) to try to dilate my cervix that way. About 5 hours later, my cervix was only 1.5cm.

They then decided to start Pitocin. I was having regular contractions but they weren’t being that productive. They also decided Friday morning to give me a Folly ball to help my cervix open that. The combination of the Pitocin and the Folly ball jump started the process and really started to dilate me. My water broke and the contractions started getting really intense. I eventually broke down and got an epidural. That allowed me to sleep for a few hours. When everything was all said and done, it only took about 30 minutes to push him out.

Drew was born at 9:36pm Friday (5/24) night. He weighed 6lbs 1oz and is 18.5 inches long. We’ve had some challenges with breastfeeding, but have been managing. I was officially diagnosed with severe preeclampsia. They kept me on the mag for 24 hours after he was born and they finally allowed me up Sunday morning.
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It has definitely been a transition but we absolutely love our little guy. The cats are slowly getting used to him and we are adjusting into our new normal.