KerryAndGabe.com

The labor with Cullen was very different from the labor with Maddie. I can’t get over how different that the two experiences were!

With Maddie, I was induced a few days before my due date due to high blood pressure issues. We showed up at 6am at the hospital, and they started the induction pretty soon after arrival. It wasn’t long before I determined that I did indeed want an epidural. The epidural didn’t take fully for a while, but I had plenty of time for it to kick in. I was in some pain before that, especially since I had back labor with her. By early afternoon, I was pretty comfortable. Progress was steady, though it seemed to take forever having never gone through it before. I was officially in labor for 10 hours, and Maddie was born after pushing for over two hours. I was exhausted and unsure why I had to wait forever in order to hold my daughter. It was a confusing and emotional experience, but I finally was able to hold my little girl in my arms.

Since I didn’t spontaneously go into labor with Maddie, I still had no real idea of what it is like to go into labor. I wondered when it would happen and how. I experienced many more contractions this time in the last few months of the pregnancy. Several times, I timed the contractions to see if they were regular. Sometimes the contractions were a little painful or uncomfortable.

Until the morning of Friday, January 22nd, every time I had timed the contractions, they were not at all regular or getting closer together. That morning, I went to work as usual and noticed that I was having somewhat frequent contractions. I took out my practice iPhone (my iPod Touch that was intended to placate me until we are out of our cell phone contract), and I started timing the contractions with one of the pregnancy apps that I had downloaded a while back. I started to think that maybe I might be heading towards labor when I discovered that the contractions were very regular and around 9 minutes apart when I started timing them. This was around 10:30am. I emailed Gabe just to let him know that maybe he should gather the hospital bag, but I wasn’t too concerned just yet. The doctors’ office didn’t want me to call until the contractions were less than 5 minutes apart for an hour.

By the time I went to lunch on campus with a friend, The contractions were around 6 minutes apart. We had to stand in a long line since they were giving out free lunch (I didn’t want to miss that!). I kept updating my friend with my status and carried the iPod so that I could continue to time them. They were definitely getting more frequent and a little bit more painful…but they really weren’t painful. By the end of lunch, I decided it was time to call the doctor. After a consult with them, they sent me to the hospital. My friend went to get her car, and we had to decide what to do. I felt like I could drive, but friends don’t let friends in labor drive - go figure! We decided that she would drive our van, and we would go by and pick up Gabe and our hospital bags. I didn’t feel like we were in a hurry at this time, though the contractions were definitely frequent. They still weren’t painful, and everyone says that you shouldn’t be able to talk through the contractions. I could still talk through them.

By the time we got to the hospital, checked in, and had my labor signs checked, it was about 2:30pm. I was disappointed to find that no progress had been made since my appointment two days ago (still at 4cm, 50%). I was thinking that things were going to progress quickly, but now I thought it might take forever. Since I had not made progress since my appointment on Wednesday, I was now considered a “watch patient.” The nurse suggested that I walk around to see if that helps progress. She wouldn’t say one way or another, but it seemed like it was even possible that they might send me home. At this point, I really didn’t want to be sent home!

So, we walked around the maternity ward. My contractions were getting more painful at this point. We made some phone calls, and I was no longer able to talk through the contractions. I really, really wanted my epidural already, but they wouldn’t even start an IV with fluids until I was officially “in labor.” I ran into the doctor at some point and let her know that my contractions were painful, and I was looking forward to my epidural. I told her it was starting to get uncomfortable to walk. She said that I didn’t have to walk around if I wasn’t comfortable and that if I was going to be in labor, it would happen whether I walked or not. At this point, I was thinking, um, *if* I go into labor? I’m pretty sure I’m in labor, woman! But officially, I wasn’t in labor yet.

Finally, the nurse comes back to check me. I had made progress! Now I was at 5-6cm and 80% effaced. Woohoo! She got the IV set up a little bit afterward, and now it was around 3:30pm. The doctor came by and assured me that we were going to run the fluids (that part takes 45 minutes to an hour), they would start the epidural, I could take a nap, and then I would wake up and push and voila! Baby! That plan sounded good to me.

The pain had gotten pretty bad by the time they started the fluids. I had to breath through the contractions and started to feel like I wasn’t getting much of a break in between them. We had called my parents to let them know they should go ahead and start the journey to our house, but we decided to wait until after I got the epidural to make other phone calls. I was quite uncomfortable! About 30 minutes into the fluids, my water broke during one of the very painful contractions. Wow. That was crazy. I told Gabe, “um, my water just broke.” His response was, “are you sure?” Ha! Um, yeah. I’m quite sure.

The nurse came by not too long after my water broke. She started to get the epidural ready but said that she needed to check my signs. I think she had a good idea that I had progressed too far and warned me that I might not be able to get the epidural. I really, really did not want to hear that! When she let me know that I was at 9.5cm, definitely past the time that they could give me the epidural (especially considering the fluids weren’t even done yet), I was scared! I hadn’t prepared to do this naturally, and now they were saying I couldn’t have any drugs. Yikes! I didn’t know how long I would have to push. After pushing for 2 hours with Maddie, I didn’t know how I was going to be able to handle anything near that long.

The nurse wanted me to let her know if I needed to push, and at that point I didn’t know if I needed to push or not. A few contractions later, I knew that it was time. Unfortunately, the doctor that was supposed to deliver Cullen was in an emergency c-section. So, they were trying to get me to wait until another doctor could arrive. The contractions were quite painful and frequent and I really wanted to push at this point. The nurse was great, but I was wondering, “don’t you deliver the babies sometimes? Get over there and catch, woman!” I didn’t say that out loud, of course. I did ask if she could snag ANY doctor out of the hallway, though. I hadn’t even met the doctor who was on the way to deliver Cullen.

Finally, after holding me off for over 20 minutes, the doctor showed up and I told him I was going to push now. They were pretty quick to get things ready at that point, and after 3 pushes, Cullen was born at 4:54pm. Officially, I had been in labor for less than an hour and a half (unofficially, it was at least 2-3 hours).

The recovery without the drugs was so much better than the recovery for Maddie. Of course, the pain was worse, but it was for a shorter period of time, thankfully. It helped that I didn’t miss a meal, and that I didn’t have to push for over two hours!! I just felt so much better overall. I was relieved that I could hold my son right away - with Maddie, it felt like forever before I was able to hold her. I was even able to walk myself from the delivery room to the postpartum room!

Something that made me happy this week: I was happy when we found out at Cullen’s 2-week appointment that not only had he regained his birth weight, he gained an extra pound and an ounce. He weighed in at 9 pounds, 11 ounces on Tuesday. He was 21.5 inches long, putting him in the 71st percentile. Quite different from his peanut of a big sister.

Something I’m thinking: I thought I was tired last week at this time. Wow, I had no idea.

Something I’m hoping: I’m hoping to have a boring week and a healthy family.

Something happening around the house: Snow, again. This kind of snow was much better. It was pretty, it didn’t cause problems on the roads, and it is melting away quickly.

Something I’m reading: Board books to Maddie. That’s about it.

Something tasty I ate this week: Several friends delivered real food to the hospital while we were there with Cullen. This was very much appreciated!

Something Maddie did this week: Maddie continues to be a chatterbox and cracks us up all the time. Last Sunday evening, she blamed her brother for the first time. She tore the wrapper off the crayon, and Gabe asked her, “why did you tear the paper off the crayon?” Maddie’s reply was, “Cullen did it.” Wow, I can’t believe how early that behavior starts! She’s not even 2! And then a couple days ago, Gabe was taking her downstairs from her crib in the morning and she passed some gas. Gabe asked, “Maddie, did you toot?” and Maddie’s reply this time was, “Bunny tooted.” I guess since Cullen wasn’t at home (he was at the hospital with me), she had to resort to blaming her stuffed animals. Hilarious.

Something Cullen did this week: Cullen seems to have his first illness which, due to his age, meant an ER visit for us and a two day stay in the hospital. He vomited several times and had a fever on Wednesday night. They take fevers in newborns very seriously and subjected him to a number of tests including a spinal tap and several equally unpleasant tests. It was a difficult couple of days, and we’re not quite recovered from it. We have been home from the hospital since Friday night.

Something I struggled with this week: Obviously taking my newborn to the ER and having him admitted to the hospital was a struggle. I encountered my first situation where I had to prioritize my children and give attention to the one who needs it most. Maddie was very upset when we left her on Wednesday night to take Cullen to the hospital. It was heartbreaking, but we had to focus on what was going on with Cullen at the moment. I knew that we would have times like these with multiple children, but it was still difficult.

Something I’m doing towards my goals: We watched another episode or two of Dead Like Me.

Something I learned this week: I learned a little more than I wanted about the ER and pediatric ward of the hospital. Fortunately, Cullen’s visit was a precautionary one, standard protocol for newborns with a fever. Thank goodness it wasn’t more serious.

Something I’m looking forward to next week: Maddie’s birthday! I can’t believe that she will be TWO at the end of this week.

Something random: I’m excited about seeing the rest of Cullen’s photo session with Catherine Keene Photography. This should happen tomorrow!

Something captured: My little guy in the smallest hospital gown ever, hooked up to an IV and various monitors. This was taken while we were still in the ER (where we stayed for about 8 hours).

Others writing The Sunday Somethings: Audrey

Cullen had his newborn session with Catherine Keene Photography when he was 11 and 12 days old. Catherine has shared two photos from the session so far. More to come soon!

Photos in January leading up to Cullen’s birth have been posted. We have a few photos from the House of Wonders and photos taken during the weekend that my mom, Catherine, and Aiden were here for my shower and maternity photos. Click on the photo to see the rest of the album.

Less than two weeks before Cullen’s arrival, Catherine was able to come and take photos of my belly. With various weather events and the holidays, we weren’t sure that we were going to be able to manage a session this time. I posted some sneak peeks a few weeks ago. The entire session has now been posted. Click on the photo to see the whole album.

Something that made me happy this week: We had several friends bring meals to our house this week which was a huge help. We are very grateful for this and have enjoyed eating some different dishes that we might not normally try.

Something I’m thinking: I’m thinking I could use more sleep.

Something I’m hoping: I’m hoping to get my taxes done this week. I started on them this past week, but I need to make sure my numbers are correct.

Something happening around the house: Gabe’s mom came to visit for a few days during which time Catherine came to set up a studio for photoshoots of Cullen and the rest of us. I can’t wait to see the photos!

Something I’m reading: Still not reading much, aside from blogs in my feed reader.

Something tasty I ate this week: Friday night, friends brought over a tasty meal of sausage corn chowder, salad, bread, and a cheesecake/mousse pie. I think we’re going to add the chowder to our normal rotation of meals. We both really enjoyed it! I’ve posted the recipe.

Something Maddie did this week: She missed two days of daycare due to the weather (and one day due to the photo session with Catherine). I’m hoping that having her in daycare full time this week will help with her overall routine. Hopefully, it will help improve her sleeping schedule as well.

Something Cullen did this week: Cullen had his first of many photo sessions with Catherine Keene Photography. At this rate, the kids will have to pay for their own college but they will have beautiful photographs of their childhood.

Something I struggled with this week: Sleep was a struggle a few nights this week, but of course that’s to be expected with a newborn. The toddler is having more sleep issues than the newborn, it seems. It’s taking 2 hours to get her to sleep each night, she wakes up several times in the middle of the night, and one night this week she was awake the majority of the time between 1am and 5am. I’ve also been struggling with not being able to give Maddie the same attention we gave her a few weeks ago and miss snuggling her in our bed in the middle of the night. It’s an adjustment for everyone.

Something I’m doing towards my goals: Surprisingly, I did work on one of my goals. Just last night, we got out the Dead Like Me DVDs so that we can watch the rest of that series as we have time.

Something I learned this week: I learned that the daycare uses the phrase “time out” (sparingly) in the classroom. When Maddie repeatedly wouldn’t listen to me, I asked her if she wanted to go to “time out.” We had never used that phrase with her previously, so I’m not sure why I even said it. Well, it worked. She no longer thought that misbehaving was funny and stopped that behavior. Her little face then scrunched up in a heart wrenching way, and she got really upset! She went running to Daddy, “I don’t want to go to time out! No time out!” and was crying. I talked to one of her teachers who said she didn’t think that Maddie had ever been sent to time out, but apparently she has a healthy respect for the punishment! We’ll have to remember that in the future (but use it sparingly).

Something I’m looking forward to next week: I’m looking forward to seeing our photos from Catherine, my first “normal” week on maternity leave with Maddie in daycare the whole week and no house guests, and Cullen’s 2-week appointment and weight check.

Something random: I’m still waiting on Cullen’s cord to fall off. Poor guy doesn’t have a belly button yet.

Something captured: Grandma had a lot of fun playing with Maddie and holding Cullen this week!

Others writing The Sunday Somethings: Audrey

Cullen’s shower had been rescheduled from December to early January after been postponed due to weather issues. I’m glad that we were able to have it and I could actually attend. I missed Maddie’s shower since I was in the hospital with a kidney stone. This shower was non-traditional with friends signing up to bring us meals as their gifts. It was wonderful! Click on the photo to see the rest of the album.

The photo calendar has been updated for October, November, December, and January. Click on the links to see each month.

Something that made me happy this week: Cullen continues to be a very laid back baby. We marvel daily at how different he is from his big sister.

Something I’m thinking: I can’t believe that I’m the mother of two beautiful children! I have kids. Kids, as in more than one! Crazy.

Something I’m hoping: I hope that the LOST premiere is good!!! Looking forward to it!

Something happening around the house: SNOW! It snowed and sleeted and did all kinds of frozen stuff for well over 24 hours. We have quite a bit of accumulation and are pretty much stuck for a few days. Maddie was excited to see it, and she spent about 5 minutes out there with Daddy. It was COLD.

Something I’m reading: I’ve been reading a lot of blogs on my iPod in the middle of the night while nursing the little man. For the first time ever, I’m staying caught up on my feeds. I need more blogs to add to my list!

Something tasty I ate this week: Homemade chili that friends brought by and chicken soup that neighbors brought us at exactly the right time as we were trying to figure out what to have for lunch. Meal drop offs are awesome!

Something Maddie did this week: She took a greater interest in her baby brother, after ignoring him for several days. She now wants to hold and hug him often. She will sit and ask to put a blanket on her lap in preparation for holding “baby Cullen.” She includes him in her night-night ritual (”night night baby Cullen”), among other important items like her shopping cart and school bus tent.

Something Cullen did this week: Cullen slept a ton and was generally a little angel. He has a tough job.

Something I struggled with this week: Winter weather, ugh! The weather changed the plans of my mom (she went back earlier), Gabe’s mom (she’s coming later), and Catherine (also coming later).

Something I’m doing towards my goals: Does it look like I have time to work on goals?

Something I learned this week: I learned how they correct tongue tie. It was a very simple procedure, and Cullen didn’t seem to suffer from it at all. Hopefully, it has made him a more efficient nurser and will lessen the chances of speech issues in the future.

Something I’m looking forward to next week: Hopefully, Catherine is coming to take photos of our little boy. The weather already interfered with that once, and I’m a little worried it’s trying to interfere again. Stupid winter.

Something random: We are still planning on taking a photo of Cullen every day for the first year of his life. Once again, we’re going to have way more photos than anyone could ever possibly need. I’m excited about the project as Maddie’s turned out awesome.

Something captured: Maddie was so excited about the snow. She wasn’t heavy enough to break through the top crust of the snow since we had a layer of sleet and ice on top.

Others writing The Sunday Somethings: Audrey

It’s hard to believe that our little man is already a week old! I’m still working on that birth story, but I thought I’d post a little update on Cullen’s first week. Just as the birth itself was completely different from Maddie’s, his first week couldn’t be more different from Maddie’s first week. Maddie’s first week involved a lot of screaming and very little sleeping for anyone. It also included a whole lot of crying (mostly from me).

Cullen has been a very laid back baby in his first week of life. His cry can be loud and piercing, but he does it with purpose. He doesn’t like wardrobe changes, diaper changes, or being hungry. Even when he’s mad, he can be soothed just by picking him up and holding him close. We just can’t get over how much easier he has been than Maddie was at this point. We are keeping our fingers crossed that he continues to be easy going.

He has been sleeping the majority of his days and nights. Unlike his sister, he seems to have no problem sleeping in the bassinet (or anywhere else). We have been using the Arm’s Reach Co-sleeper this time and LOVE it. It’s so convenient to be able to see him when I’m laying down, and it’s easy to reach him when it is time to nurse.

When he’s awake and not nursing, he seems content to look around. Not much seems to bother him.

Nursing has been going well. I have some soreness that I remember from last time, but other than that I think he’s feeding well. In his first week, he nursed 136 times (thanks to the Total Baby iPhone app, tracking this stuff has been easier than last time with the notepad and pen). During that time, we have changed about 70 diapers (a few in the hospital were not recorded in the app). His birth weight was 8 pounds, 10 ounces and he dropped to 8 pounds, 1 ounce in the hospital. At our appointment today with the lactation consultant, he was up to 8 pounds, 4 ounces. They feel he is on track to regain his birth weight in a reasonable time.

We have had a few issues. The pediatrician and lactation consultants noted that Cullen was tongue tied in the hospital. I’m not sure how much it was affecting his nursing, but that was their main concern. We took him to the lactation consultant at the pediatrician’s office, and she was concerned about how that was affecting his latch and ability to nurse efficiently. We were referred to an ENT for evaluation. We went to that appointment yesterday, and they felt that it was a good idea to clip his tongue. The frenotomy was a very simple procedure that took seconds to perform, and he was able to nurse immediately afterward. I didn’t immediately notice a difference in his nursing, but I’m thinking he might be a bit more efficient now. His overall number of nursings and length of time have decreased, yet his diaper output and weight gain still seem to be on target.

We have another concern that is upsetting. We may have a need to visit a pediatric urologist to evaluate his circumcision. I already feel bad that we put him through that pain, and now there’s a question to whether it needs correcting. Time will tell what is going to happen there, but I’m pretty mad about things not being done properly the first time. It’s possible that a subsequent surgery wouldn’t be able to happen until he’s a year old. I’m extremely unhappy about putting a toddler through that, so we are going to have to see what information we can get and options that we have over the next few weeks.

Big sister Maddie is adjusting to her new role. She spent the majority of the first several days ignoring her little brother. We think maybe she figured he might go away if she didn’t acknowledge his existence. She was mostly indifferent. She is very excited about her brother now. She wants to hold him and says good night to him when she goes to bed. She has been telling her daycare teachers about “baby Cullen.” It’s very sweet. She has been pretty attached to Daddy, and Gabe has been giving her extra attention whenever possible.

She is curious about her brother and often just wants to sit next to us when we are holding him. When we told her that baby Cullen was hungry in the first few days, she asked if he was going to have some applesauce. We explained that baby Cullen only eats Mommy’s milk for now and that he’s too little for applesauce. Maddie will now say, “Cullen eats Mommy’s milk” and sometimes “Cullen eats Mommy’s boobie.” The other day, she told a friend on the phone that Mommy’s milk comes from Dr. Pepper! I guess she’s partially right!

My parents were here with Maddie while we were at the hospital, and they stayed a few days after we got home. We had one night on our own, and then my mom came back to help us until this morning. We’re on our own until at least Monday when Gabe’s mom is coming to meet her new grandson for the first time. We have introduced Cullen to his Kentucky grandparents over the webcam. Grandma is excited to meet him in person and snuggle with him!

Until then, we are snowbound as we already have an inch on the ground, and they are expecting it to snow for the next 24 hours or so. We have plenty of food and diapers and hope that the next few days go smoothly for us as we venture on our own.

We are so happy to finally have Cullen in our lives. It’s weird to say that I have “kids” now, using the plural. I’ve only said it aloud a few times. That part is an adjustment, too! So far, we are enjoying our cozy life as a family of four!