Big Day Out

Yesterday Milo and I had our first solo outing and I think it was quite a success! First we went to the pediatrician, where he got a clean bill of health and weighed in at 8 lbs 10 oz. Then we went to a medical lab for the last round of newborn screening tests. Then we went to visit Daddy at work and meet his coworkers, and then we went to the mall so I could get fitted properly for a nursing bra. Of course right when we got to the mall it was time for Milo to eat so I had my first experience breastfeeding in public (using my adorable nursing cover Doug got me for Christmas)... if the "Ladies Lounge" at Nordstrom counts as public. Seriously, if you ever need to breastfeed in a mall, head straight for Nordstrom - it was really nice in there. Milo was so good, he slept most of the time until he ate, and then he was wide awake just chilling in his stroller the rest of the time!

And of course he impressed everyone with his cuteness....

Milo's First Santa Picture

At just 7 days old, he might have been the youngest one yet. He was so amused he couldn't be bothered to even open his eyes!

Merry Christmas!

Why Milo is Awesome....

2 Weeks Old

• He has had his eyes open so much since day one - more then any other newborn I have ever seen.
• When he wakes up he opens one eye at a time. We call this "pirate eye." Aaaarrrggghhh Matey!
• He snorts exactly like a pig when he is upset or frustrated, or sometimes just because. Its about the cutest sound ever.
• He is really strong. He has been lifting his head and rolling partway to his side since we have been in the hospital. Sometimes this makes things like feeding and changing tough... but I can't complain!
• He can already find his hands and bring them to his mouth. And he like to hold on to his pacifier when its in his mouth sometimes.

(And yep, its my blog so I will brag my face off if I want to.... even if this stuff is totally normal for all babies!)

Lesson for the Day

There is no such thing as too many baby clothes.

8pm and we are on outfit #4 for the day!

1 Week Old

And what a week it has been!  

We got discharged from the hospital on Saturday but didn't get out until 7pm because Milo was having all kinds of tests because he had lost nearly 10% of his weight and he was a bit more jaundiced then they liked.  We took him into the doctors office on Monday and his weight was down to 7 lbs 12 oz (from 8 lbs 14 oz at birth) and he was a little bit dehydrated.  The doctor was thinking it was because my milk didn't start to come in until the night before, which is a little later, but normal for c-section babies.  So she had us breastfeeding and supplementing with formula every 3 hours for the rest of the day.  Tuesday we went back to the doctors and Milo's weight was up nearly 6 oz to 8 lbs 4 oz!  The doctor was so impressed - she was only hoping for a half an ounce to an ounce.  Also his jaundice was down and he was looking great.  She took us off formula and he is now breastfeeding like a champ - all. the. time.

Not much else exciting going on here. My parents are still here until Saturday so we've mostly just been hanging out at home.  Milo did have his first Target trip after his last doctors appointment and tonight we went out to dinner and get his picture taken with Santa.  He was a little fussy this evening but once we got him into the car he got through dinner and his Santa picture without a peep... even if his eyes were closed for the picture.  I think he loves to shop just like his momma!

And now some pictures!

My 40 week belly and last pregnant picture!

Daddy and his little man.

I'm such a little peanut my hands get lost in my tiny shirts!

Leaving the hospital... too tiny for the outfit mommy brought to go over my onesie!

Milo and Bella - best buddies already!

Thinking hard.

Trying out my Christmas outfit.

Welcome Milo!

The short story:

Milo Thomas Cole
December 10, 2008 - 10:25pm
8 lbs 14.5 oz - 20.75 in

The long story, with all the gory details:

Tuesday we had our regular doctors appointment and after a variety of tests the doctor decided she wanted us to be induced the next day, the main reason being my blood pressure that wouldn't stop creeping up.

So Wednesday morning we get the call to come to the hospital and leave right away, and check in around 11am. At noon they start the antibiotics because I was GBS + and at 2pm the pitocin. Sometime in between there they checked my urine and it had protein in it, which it didn't the day before, and my blood pressure was up even more - the nurse said I was a "ticking time bomb" so its a good thing we got in so soon.

For the next four hours I felt no contractions, even though according the monitor they were coming 1-2 minutes apart and finally at 6pm I felt one, which was only like a runners side cramp. So we decided to do this thing pain free and I got the epidural. It took a few minutes to get it in and perfect, but it was totally worth it. Over the next few hours I continued to progress but Milo was slow to react on the monitors so they were getting a little concerned. At one point his heart rate dipped to about 70-80 bpm so the doctor suggested we do a c-section. I think this was around 9 or 9:30pm or so and I was already 7 cm. We agreed right away and I was given terb to stop my contractions and we were whisked off the the OR.

The c-section went well, I was really only a little nervous for the beginning but before I knew it I heard Milo cry - at 10:25pm on his due date! At which point I cried... like crazy. Then the doctor started putting me back together and the pressure they tell you you'll feel was a bit more then I expected.. and I was hormonal... and already crying... so I was pretty miserable during that part and everyone in the room could tell. I was given morphine and something else to get me to calm down I don't really know what, but Doug told me they put a few things into my IV at the end because I was flipping out at the end pretty much! Whatever it was it made me totally exhausted, unable to keep my eyes open, and my limbs felt like jello! But the good thing was Doug and Milo were right next to me the entire time and then we got moved directly back to our birthing suite, so I didn't need to be without either of them at any point.

I tried to breastfeed asap, but he must not have gotten enough that first time because his glucose levels were too low so the nurse insisted we supplement with a few mg of formula, which they gave him through a tube up against my breast. I had a total break down at the formula idea, but I blame it on the hormones and how hopped up I was on meds... and the fact that this nurse was a little bitchy and not understanding. At any rate, after that first feeding we have been breastfeeding exclusively with really no problems at all, besides needing a nurse to help me get him into position once in a while.

All in all, I'm feeling pretty ok right now. I have been going to the bathroom unassisted since this afternoon and it really only hurts at the incision when I am trying to sit up, walk, or cough - stuff like that. To be honest, although that pain sucks, I don't mind it as much because I'm not bleeding as much as with a vaginal birth and things down there all feel fine (which was a big worry of mine for some reason! So basically, I swapped one pain for another - no biggie.)

Milo came out 8 lb 14 oz with a head full of dark hair and the chubbiest cheeks. He is pretty darn cute if I do say so myself!

40 Week Dr Appointment

Today was my 40 week appointment and what a day! We went into the doctors first thing for our regular appointment. She checked me and I was 3-4 cm (yay!) and my blood pressure was up again (boo!). Combined with my crazy swelling she decided to do a few more tests.

So, she did an ultrasound to check fluid levels, which turned out fine considering how far along I am and then we did a non-stress test where you are hooked up to a monitor that shows the babies heart rate and they look for a particular pattern. He did ok on this test, steady heart rate the entire time, but they didn't see the pattern they were looking for so she sent us to the hospital for a biophysical profile ultrasound scan. Also she ordered some blood work to check mostly for pre-e.

Off we went to the hospital and the blood work came back normal, as did the bpp scan. If they hadn't we would have induced right away tonight. Also, we found out he was measuring about 9 lbs 14 oz (+ or - a pound.) Umm.... yikes?! The doctor was guessing he would be around 8 lbs or so, so even she was surprised at this high number.

Since everything was fine she decided to get me on the schedule to be induced as soon as I could be fit in, due to my blood pressure creeping up. Turns out this is tomorrow! So first thing in the morning the hospital will call us and tell us what time to come in tomorrow and hopefully Milo will be born the same day - on his due date!

I have to say, with the crazy swelling, the carpel tunnel, the back pain, etc etc, I am so glad to be done with this part tomorrow and we finally get to meet our little (big!) man.

39 Weeks

Umm, I really had hoped I wouldn't have to update this week because he would be here already, but no such luck!

Here I am, stretching my clothes to the max.

According to Babycenter: Your baby's waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

At each of your now-weekly visits, your caregiver will do an abdominal exam to check your baby's growth and position. She might also do an internal exam to see whether your cervix has started ripening: softening, effacing (thinning out), and dilating (opening). But even armed with this information, there's still no way for your caregiver to predict exactly when your baby is coming. If you go past your due date, your caregiver will schedule you for fetal testing (usually a sonogram) after 40 weeks to ensure that it's safe to continue the pregnancy. If you don't go into labor on your own, most practitioners will induce labor when you're between one and two weeks overdue — or sooner if there's an indication that the risk of waiting is greater than the risks of delivering your baby without further delay.

While you're waiting, it's important to continue to pay attention to your baby's movements and let your caregiver know right away if they seem to decrease. Your baby should remain active right up to delivery, and a noticeable slowdown in activity could be a sign of a problem. Also call if you think your water may have broken. Membranes rupture before the beginning of labor in about 8 percent of term pregnancies. Sometimes there's a big gush of fluid, but sometimes there's only a small gush or a slow leak. (Don't try to make the diagnosis yourself. Call even if you only suspect you have a leak.) If you rupture your membranes and don't start contractions on your own, you'll be induced.

Uhhhh, a watermelon all of a sudden?! I can not believe this has to come OUT of me soon!