--- last pregnant belly pic! 39.5 weeks . . .
My body was progressing slower than I was hoping for the last couple weeks of the pregnancy. It really surprised me since with both Angela AND Justin, I started dilating and effacing early and sat at about 4 cm and 75%+ effaced for a couple of weeks! So I was certain that it would happen the same way, if not faster, this time. But, apparently little Callum was content and comfy and in NO HURRY! I sat at 1 cm and about 20-30% effaced for the last couple of weeks. We had discussed and tentatively scheduled an induction (for St. Patrick's Day!! =D) with the warning from my Doctor that he wanted me to progress a little more before he really felt comfortable inducing me. So we prayed! And I went for brisk walks, did lots of housework, got a pedicure, ate spicy food... trying all the *wives tales* that might help push things along!
--- out for a *brisk* walk with Bubbers . . .
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--- pedicures with my princess . . .
--- our purdy toes! . . .
Something I did must have helped somewhat. Either that or Callum felt like playing nice for Mommy... ; ) We had an appointment scheduled the afternoon before our scheduled induction date to check things and decide if the induction was really going to happen or not. Thankfully things had progressed enough that it was *all systems go for launch*!! =D
We went home and got the kids all packed up for their sleepovers with family members (My parents, Kaleb's parents, and awesome Aunt Kira!) and then played at the park with the kids, until it started pouring rain on us! Then we had some dinner, helped my parents get the kids ready for bed at their house (since we had to be at the hospital at 5AM!), dished out hugs and kisses all around, and headed home. We checked all the hospital bags and packed some last minute things, relaxed a bit, and then hit the hay.
We woke up at the insane hour of about 3AM. I had hardly slept anyways, I was so excited and nervous to meet this new little man! We got ourselves ready, and called the hospital to make sure there would be a bed available. It was a quiet night/morning on the Labor & Delivery floor so we got the go ahead to head on in. I scarfed down a light breakfast of a toasted english muffin and water and then we hit the road.
We got to the hospital right at 5AM, checked into the front desk where I received compliments on my festive GREEN St. Patrick's Day shirt. =) We trekked back to Labor & Delivery room number 17 (2 doors down from the room Justin was born in!). I changed and we got settled in. My Nurse (Pam) for the morning shift came in, did a patient history interview, and got me started on some Pitocin. It wasn't long before the contractions started coming. They were decent, but kind of sporadic. Dr. Lloyd showed up a little before 7AM and checked in on me, and then broke my water. Everything was looking great so far! They had increased the dosage of Pitocin and the contractions were getting stronger. The Anesthesiologist (Dr. Farley) had a C-section scheduled at 7:30AM that would make him inaccessible for about an hour or so, so I opted to get the magical epidural in before he disappeared! Can I just reiterate how AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL epidurals are??? Simply the best! We got the epidural in and working and it was heavenly! =)
I then met my nurse (Kim) for the day shift. She was absolutely FABULOUS! Super fun and cute... we joked through the whole process and I just loved her! The pitocin dosage was increased a few more times throughout the course of the day and even though things were going decently, it was a s-l-o-w process getting me to dilate. I napped a bit more and Kaleb and I watched some Cosby show. I absolutely love that show! Amazing how much funnier it is once you've started raising your own children... =D We had to get creative with the placement of the laptop so that I could still see the show while I tried out some different positions to help little Callum descend and push the dilation along. Things were still moving pretty slow. A lot slower than with Angela and Justin. I was starting to get a bit worried, but the Doc insisted all was well.
I had to get an internal heart rate monitor placed on Callum's head since he kept playing hide and seek with the external heart rate monitor. And I also had to wear some oxygen! That was a new experience this time as well. With each contraction, Cal's heart rate kept dipping a little more than the nurse and Doc liked. So, I got to wear an oxygen mask for the tail end of the labor.
The different positions worked like magic. I began dilating pretty quickly and at 2:15PM they began to get the cart and supplies ready for the delivery. Hooray! Kaleb had stepped out to go get some lunch. I suddenly started feeling some CRAZY intense pressure. That was a little nerve-wrecking since I was alone and it took a few minutes for the nurse to come in. When she did I had her check me and she was shocked.. I was fully dilated, fully effaced, and it was time to push, PRONTO! I had to track down Kaleb and the poor guy literally RAN clear across the hospital from the Cafeteria. He was winded when he showed up in the Delivery room and the nurse and I giggled over it. =) We contacted our parents and told them to head out with the kids so that they could be at the hospital for his arrival. The nurse rounded up the Doctor and we began!
I literally only pushed for maybe 10 minutes TOPS! They suspected the cord was wrapped around Cal's neck due to the way his heart rate and descension acted with each contraction/push. Sure enough, the cord was wrapped around his little neck and the Doc said it was REALLY tight! Yikes! Poor little guy! We paused and got the cord dealt with and then proceeded. One more push and he finally arrived at 3:13PM. Kaleb was able to help deliver him just like he did with Justin. As he came out, and Kaleb caught him, I heard Kaleb say, "Whoa!" I just about had a heart attack... that's not really something you want to hear when your husband is supposed to be CATCHING your baby. LOL! Luckily, Callum did NOT end up on the floor and they placed him onto my chest and into my arms....
He was breath-takingly beautiful and precious and perfect in every way. I bawled as I cuddled him and took in every perfect inch of him. He didn't cry at all. Just stared into my eyes as if he too was taking in every inch of me. Those first few moments together with the beautiful life you created are always so magical. A special memory etched forever in your mind. =)
He weighed 7lbs 13oz and measured 19 inches long. Such a cute little boy! Shorter than both his older siblings were at birth! And smaller in weight than Justin by half a pound. =) He also came out with a headful of RED hair. Not a bright carrot-top red... more how my color is now. A brown/red (it now looks like its going blonde though! So much for a fellow redhead! =P) .
Because of how much the cord was squeezing his poor little head, he came out with a bruised face. It was more like a bunch of little spots of burst blood vessels though. The bruises looked just like natural freckles! It was so cute! They disappeared a week or so later, but they were sure cute. I'm glad we got pictures done while he had them. It makes for a cute memory. He was my little leprechaun baby. =)
Kaleb got to snuggle him next. Such a cute sight! =) I then tried out breastfeeding for the first time ever! It went great! He latched perfectly and snacked on the colostrum just like he should have. Unfortunately, my attempt to breastfeed him was later sabotaged by the nurses on the recovery floor. =( They had me terrified he was going to end up in the NICU because he was "just sleeping and not eating enough" and his blood sugars were "too low". So I caved to some bottle-feeding to get some food in him. I had to stand by and watch Justin have needles and tubes shoved into him every which-where when he was barely 6 weeks old due to his RSV issues. NOT FUN! I was willing to do whatever to keep Callum away from the NICU and the needles and tubes. Sadly, once he'd had the bottles, he wanted NOTHING to do with me. It was an absolute battle that always ended with both of us in tears. I even got some advice from a good friend who is a trained lactation consultant and I tried to change the course of things. However, trying to *save* my milk and *train* Callum to take breast over bottle turned out to be more than me and my family could handle. Justin had some issues adjusting to a new baby and the time demands of just normal life on top of everything else was just too much. If I was a new mom and didn't already have 2 other kids that needed me I probably could have easily devoted the time needed to fix things. But, alas, it was just NOT gonna happen.
I was sad about it for a couple of days, but got over it pretty easily. I have no issues with bottles and formula. I did it exclusively with my first 2 kids. Formula has come such a long way with top-notch doctors and scientists working tirelessly on it to make it the very best it can possibly be for babies. Formula has never been closer to mimicking breast milk than it is today. And it only continues to get better. I personally feel formula is just as healthy and good for babies as breastfeeding is. I'm sure that statement will have serious breastfeeders all in a dither... armed with 500lbs of research material and "personal experiences" and ready to take me out. But it's truly how I feel. Everyone has their own opinion and this is mine. Let's not argue over it. =)
So... the breastfeeding was really more for me. I wanted to experience it. I experienced it a little bit, and I did enjoy the little bit I got. The most frustrating thing in all of it was that AFTER the fact, when explaining what had happened to the Pediatrician, he shook his head and sympathized with me, telling me how all-too-often the nurses play the *low-blood-sugar* card. When, in all reality, its not as big a deal as they make it out to be. He said it's PERFECTLY normal for a newborn to just sleep and have very little interest in feeding the first couple of days. Labor is traumatic and hard on them and they have to sleep it off. And about the same time that they've *recovered* is when the real milk comes in and the breastfeeding really takes off. *sigh* .... I may try once more with the next baby. I will just remember next time to ignore any over-zealous nurses and their NICU threats. =P
Anyways.... back to the story....
After some after-birth bonding time with Callum, our parents and Justin and Angela came in and met the new little boy. And it was just in time! Angie and Justin were bouncing off the walls and my Dad was starting to get nervous about what was going on. So you could almost hear several sighs of relief when they all finally got to come into the Delivery room. =) Seeing everyone meet Callum and snuggle him was special too. The kids were so excited and the grandparents were beaming.
Then we packed up and got everything hauled up to the recovery room (room # 330). Family and Friends visited for awhile and then finally dispersed for the evening.
Then Kaleb was able to give Cal his first bath. So cute! He wasn't too excited about being naked, wet, cold and getting scrubbed down. But once he got all clean and warm and wrapped back up he was a happy baby again.
---all warm and snuggly after his bath . . .
The rest of our stay at the hospital went well, but we were glad to finally get home Saturday afternoon (March 19th). And the kids were super glad to have us back home as well. They had fun having sleepovers with everyone, but missed Mom and Dad and Baby Callum.
---his *going home* outfit . . .
---2 boys ready to get home! . . .
---all strapped in and ready to hit the road! . . .
---glad to have the family back home together . . .
---tryin' out the swing for the first time . . .
---first night home . . .
Callum has done wonderfully and is such a happy little guy. He eats great, sleeps great (already sleeping through the night! Until 8 or 9 in the morning! Woot!), and hardly ever cries. He holds his head up like a pro and did so pretty much from the beginning, in spite of the fact that he's not a big fan of tummy time.
He started smiling real, genuine smiles at me around 4 weeks. Also at 4 weeks from birth he was already almost 10lbs! He's my little Chubba-Wubba. =) His eyes, so far, have stayed a purdy blue. A little before the 2 month mark he started making little *coo* sounds when you talked to him. He LOVES to play already! You can sit and make silly faces/sounds at him and he will smile, coo, and/or try to copy you.
---first day of Church! . . .
---snoozin' in Sacrament . . .
---loves the bink! . . .
He started some little laughs just in the past couple weeks or so. It is sooo cute! He always gets the hiccups when he tries to laugh. =D When he went in for his 2 month check up he weighed 11lbs 4.5oz and was 22 inches long! A month later now he's up past 12 pounds! He's a fast growing boy! I already need to start putting some of his *newborn* size clothes away! And pretty soon we're gonna have to upgrade to bigger binkies... So sad! =( It just goes way too stinkin' fast....
---sleepy boys . . .
---helping me with Laundry . . .
---loves his jungle chair! . . .
---LOVES bathtime! . . .
Kaleb likes to call him "Cal Bob"... *rolls eyes* lol! We all call him our little "Cal Pal" as well as just "Cal". A special little nickname I dubbed him with is "Bugaboo" or "Bug" for short. Justin will sometimes copy me and talk to him and call him Bugaboo as well.
Justin and Angela have also done fabulously! They both love him to pieces! Angela loves to help out and hold him and kiss his soft little head. And Justin is always singing to him, showing toys to him, and smothering him (literally!) with kisses and hugs. Anywhere Callum is, you'll find Justin there as well. =) Justin also always thinks that Callum should play the playstation with him. So anytime he's playing it he gets Cal his own remote. =D
Sadly, Callum's hair is almost always greased down due to the fact that Justin and Angela love to "pet" his soft little head. lol! It's a sign that he's well-loved. =D
Having 3 kids has definitely been an adjustment for everyone and keeps me super busy A LOT of the time. (Hence, taking 3 months to get this post up here!) But I totally LOVE IT! And I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world! Having Callum here feels good... it feels right... almost like he's always been here. And I couldn't imagine him NOT being here as part of our little family. =)
This experience was chalked up as another wonderful one. I simply LOVE my O.B. and his staff. I will literally CRY if he retires before we're done having kids!
---world's GREATEST OB/Gyn . . .
The Labor and Birth went exactly as I wanted... Callum is perfect... My husband is amazing... My growing, Eternal family brings me so much joy... Life is just beautiful! =) *sigh*
