A lot of folks have been asking how I am feeling after having the baby. I’m feeling pretty energetic and happy to be a parent, but I have some pain from where the doctor put in some sutures after the delivery. I like the phrase that someone else mentioned to me to describe the pain… my baby shoot hurts. Haha! So, it’s difficult to sit properly on hard chairs and standing up from a sitting position hurts a little. My belly is very jiggly, too, which I am not that used to. Alex hasn’t been very fussy except for when he’s hungry, needs his diaper changed, or is a bit cold from our A/C. He’s a joy to have in our lives!
Our goal has been to try to have Alex feed about every three hours, but haven’t been super strict about it in the first couple days home. The longest he’s slept in one interval has been about 4 hours. We’ve got lots to learn. I’m still trying to figure out breast feeding. It seems weird to me and my boobs hurt. I’m going to try pumping and see how that goes. Nick and I made a run to Target today while Nick’s parents watched Alex to buy the breast pump and some other baby things. And then we went grocery shopping. I was pretty tired when we got home and took a nice nap before dinner time. It’s been really nice to have Nick’s step dad and mom around the last couple days to help out while we learn how to care for Alex.
Alex also had his first visit to the pediatrician this afternoon and everything checked out excellently. He’s lost a little bit of weight since birth which is to be expected, but not as much as the average baby. In just 4 days I can see he has filled out in his cheeks, but he seems like a long skinny baby to me. his hands and feet are still pretty wrinkly, too. Alex has some birthmarks on his head. One on his forehead and eye called “angel’s kiss” which should disappear by the time he is two or three years old. And one on the back of his head near his neck called “stork bite” which he will have for life, but it’ll be covered by his hair.
We are very excited to introduce our baby boy, Alexander Luke Arnett, to you! Alex was born September 9, 2010 at 7:09pm weighing 7 pounds and 6 ounces and measuring 21 inches long! We are all doing well and looking forward to new adventures together! Thank you all for your prayers and support!
I didn’t get the call today about being induced Tuesday, instead of Thursday. So, I go to see my doctor for a regular appointment tomorrow morning. Unless she changes something at the appointment, the plan is to be induced on Thursday morning. This means I will be going to the hospital Wednesday evening to take Cervadil which is suppose to make my cervix more hospitable to labor. I’ll take it the night before so I sleep through the side effects, primarily nausea. Then, I will take Pitocin the next morning to induce labor.
Speaking of labor, Nick and I spent Labor Day weekend doing lots of walking and shopping. Walking is suppose to help keep baby in the proper position and bury his head down into the pelvis more. So, Friday we went to Home Depot, the grocery store, and ate lunch at Chipotle. Saturday we went to a bunch of garage sales in Sterling, Herndon, and Reston. We only spent $12 and found some pretty good treasures! For baby, we found this totally cute baby bath robe, an orange and navy blue 2 piece Adidas outfit, a dinosaur shirt, and a gray one piece with a train on it. We got 5 books: Disney’s Aladdin, a baby Bible verse memory book, A Tale of Three Trees, a book about the 1994 World Cup, and a math and physics formula book. We got a spreader for the lawn. And we got Pictionary new in the box with the plastic wrap still on. After the garage sales, we ate lunch at Potbelly and went to a Porche car show at Reston Towne Center.
Sunday we went to church, and I just slept a whole lot all afternoon. I think I was tired from all the walking from the previous two days.
Today we went furniture shopping originally looking for a chair for the nursery, but we didn’t find one we really liked. However, we did buy two more chairs to go with the dining set that we already have so there are six chairs total now. So, that will be nice when we have dinner guests.
So, Nick and I packed up the car and headed to the hospital this morning fully expecting to go through a c-section and meeting our baby boy today. But today is not the day that we will meet our little one. The c-section was canceled because baby has turned into the proper position with his head down! We were at the hospital for quite a while before we got this news, though.
I wasn’t able to eat or drink anything starting at midnight in preparation for the surgery. So, I was majorly hungry. The nurses gave me an IV and had me on the baby monitor for a while to keep track of baby’s heart beat and contractions. Baby’s heart beat was nice and strong and no contractions were happening. Later the doctor arrived and used an ultrasound to check baby’s position one last time before the c-section. We found his head down, his butt up, and his feet on my left side! He had moved into the proper position making the c-section unnecessary! My doctor was pretty surprised. I think Nick and I were, too!
So, doctor wants me to do a lot of walking to help baby keep his head down in the proper position and give him a few more days to decide to come on his own. But because baby has favored a less desirable position, my doctor wants to make sure that baby doesn’t turn again by inducing by my due date. So, I’m scheduled to be induced on Thursday if he doesn’t come sooner on his own. There is a possibility I may be induced on Tuesday, but not likely as there are 8 other mothers ahead of me in the schedule. If 3 of those 8 have their babies before Monday, then I will be induced Tuesday. I’ll go into the hospital the night before, in either case, to get some medication to make my cervix more favorable for delivery and the next morning I will be induced. There is still a possibility I may need a c-section if baby turns again or if inducing fails, but neither is highly likely. If I don’t have the baby by Tuesday, I have my next doctor check up appointment on Tuesday.
So, I am a bit disappointed that baby isn’t here yet, but it is what it is and God is in control! I am glad that I didn’t have to have a c-section as the recovery will be easier. Please keep praying for these last days of pregnancy, for a safe and healthy delivery, and for Nick and I as new parents!
Nick and I just got back from Pre-Op at the hospital. Basically, they verified and gathered lots of information, took some blood, we talked with an anesthesiologist, and got lots of questions answered. Tomorrow morning is the c-section and baby Arnett’s birthday! I should be back home on Sunday as long as there are no complications.
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