The first week

Austin has been home for 5 days now. Brian and I are adjusting and learning a lot from Austin. Without being a parent, you would think that you (as the parent) would be teaching the baby things however right now it is really the other way around. We are adjusting to Austin's schedule and figuring out what he likes and does not like.

We had a first pediatrician's appointment on Wednesday. Austin was down to 7 lb 3 oz and she was a little concerned. It's normal for babies to lose about 10% of their birth weight as they get adjusted to their new life and mom's milk starts coming in. Anything more than 10% is when they start getting more concerned. We needed to make sure Austin started gaining weight and not losing anymore. We realized we were not feeding Austin enough. It is really hard to know how much he is eating when I am breast feeding. The pediatrician told us we needed to start supplementing 1 oz of either breast milk or formula after each feeding.

I could not believe that we may have to start feeding Austin formula already. I knew breast feeding was a challenge but I have only had him 4 days and now I may need to feed him formula. Part of the issue was my milk was not all the way in so I only have so much. Plus we did not realize how much milk Austin needed. I just felt like a bad mom for not being able to give him only breast milk. So I decided to be crazy and pump my breasts at least every two hours in hopes I would not have to give him formula. That worked okay during the day but at night it was impossible. I obviously was not getting any sleep. Even with my lofty goals, it would still take 2-3 days for my milk supply to increase in response to increased pumping and feeding.

I had a melt down Thursday night Brian talked me though it and he ended up giving Austin formula while I was sleeping. It worked out nicely because I no longer had to feel guilty for giving it to him. It was too late. Brian already took care of it. Since I am pumping anyways, my milk should still come in. Formula is trouble when you stop demanding milk from the breast because you are using it instead. Lower demand means the breasts will produce less and you'll need to supplement with more formula. It's a downward spiral. Since I am pumping though, this cycle is avoided and not as problematic. The formula is simply buying us time until my milk comes in more.

On Thursday we met with a lactation consultant. She was helpful and encouraged me that breast feeding will get easier. Another issue I have is that my nipples are extremely sore. She also helped with that. There are breast feeding support groups in the community that I need to start going to. This is going to be a challenge but I really want to breast feed Austin as much as possible right now.

Friday we went back to the pediatrician. I was so nervous. What if he is still losing weight? I have done everything possible to make sure he eats enough. On Friday he weighed 7 lb 7 oz. Thank goodness! He gained 4 ounces. We are going in the right direction now. I was so happy! We do not have to go back to the doctors for a week. Yeah!

Brian went back to work on Wednesday afternoon. I was not sure how to feel about that. Part of me wanted him to stay at home with us forever but I realized that is unrealistic. I was hoping I could handle everything. Brian and I have been such a good team with Austin. I was hoping I could do this. I knew that Brian was just a phone call away if I needed anything.

Luckily my mom was off Wednesday though Friday. She came up and helped with Austin. She would watch him while I napped. She also helped out with him when I was pumping breast milk. During the day, I pump a lot so it really helps when someone can watch him while I pump. If not, I have to watch him (sometimes hold him) while holding 2 breast pumps. It is quite the challenge.

I have learned that with being a mom, I really need about 2 more hands. Because Austin loves to be held, I hold him a lot. I will type one handed if needed so I can get some work done and still hold him. I can now eat left handed. These are the new little things in my life.

Brian has been wonderful. We are still working in shifts during the night. We usually have 3 hour shifts at a time. We are getting Austin use to sleeping in his crib and last night we were both able to sleep for a little bit. Brian setup an elaborate baby camera system which allows us to watch him on TVs throughout our house. It is nice because we can sleep in the living room or bedroom and have Austin on TV. Right now one of us is sleeping in the bedroom in silence while the other person (who's shift it is) sleeps on the couch and listens/watches Austin on TV. Eventually we can use picture in picture, but we haven't really had time to watch TV this first week so that will be used later. Earlier this week, Brian would have Austin in a little baby carrier and hold him while he worked on the computer. He is so creative.

So far everything is going well. Austin is an excellent baby. Brian and I are just learning a lot and enjoying our new family together. We will see what Austin has in store for us next week.

Going Home from the Hospital

On day two (Monday) we knew we would be going home. We had mixed emotions. We were happy to be leaving the hospital, but still sad because the birthing process was over. After all, we had planned for this day for nine months. Now it was already here and gone! We were nervous since we really did not know what we were in for. It was a little scary.



Our second and final day in the hospital started with another busy morning. The pediatrician came in and assessed Austin. She said everything looked good. Then we went to baby basics class with Austin. The instructor asked if she could use Austin for the bath demonstration. We said sure. He was really hungry by that time so he was not happy. But he got a bath in front of the class.

Once we got back into the room I fed Austin. The lactation specialist came in just as I started, so the timing was perfect. She gave us more helpful information. We are realizing that it is good to hear what everyone has to say. Ultimately though we have to take everything in and decide what works best for us. She also showed us how to use the breast pump.


Afterward, we ordered lunch and started packing up our room. We packed a lot of things so we had lots to pack up. Plus the hospital gave us stuff to take home. Our nurse came in and went over our discharge instructions. We filled out paperwork to order Austin's birth certificate. We should get it in the mail in about a month. We had everything ready to go home.



Brian got the car and the nursing assistant took Austin and I down to him. Even though I didn't really need it, they took me out in a wheelchair. Wow we are really leaving! Its was cold and snowy outside, but Brian had preheated the car so it wasn't too bad. Austin didn't like his car seat at first, but he quickly realized it was warm and cozy and liked it.

Once we got home we set up our house for Austin. We got out the pack n play. We got all the diaper supplies downstairs. We just tried to figure out what works best. Brian unpacked our bags. Then Brian took a nap while I watched Austin. Once he got up we ate dinner and spent time together as a family. Austin has been sleeping for 2-3 hours at a time. He wakes up I breast feed him, change his diaper, and then we read or play with him. We are getting a routine down.

Our first night at home Austin slept in his crib. Brian and I took turns getting up with him. We each have a 2-3 hour shift between feedings. This allows one of us to sleep undisturbed while the other is responsible for Austin. He is fairly easy to calm, but often needs us to hold him (or rock him in his crib) otherwise he will start to cry. By taking turns, this is more manageable. So far everything is going extremely well.

Austin's First Day

When the nurse left the room for the first time, we were all alone with Austin. That was a little scary at first. We have taken a lot of childbirth education classes but we still did not seem to be prepared for this. I suppose no one is. Luckily our parental instinct kicked in and we figured it out. We slept for a few hours at a time. Unfortunately because of my tear (and the trauma of childbirth), I was not able to move very well. So Brian had to get up with Austin every time. There was no way I could have gotten him by myself.

The one issue I had was I was unable to urinate after giving birth. I tried several times but I was unsuccessful so the nurse put in a foley catheter overnight. That also made moving around even more difficult. Everything down in my perineum area was extremely swollen and painful. The nurse gave me ice to help however it is going to take time before everything heals.

In the morning, it was really busy time. Everyone came in to visit us from the hospital. Our pediatrician came in and assessed Austin. She said that everything looked good, so that was encouraging. All we really wanted was a healthy baby and so far that is what we got. We are extremely blessed. Then several nurses came in to do assessments on me and Austin. My doctor came in and said everything looked good as well. The lactation consultant came in and gave us some instruction. She was helpful.

Breastfeeding is something I really want to do. I know it is going to be a challenge but I have determination that this will work. I was more nervous about breastfeeding than labor. The lactation consultant was encouraging and I needed that. Brian has also helped me with breastfeeding. I had a hard time moving around with Austin and getting him to latch on. Brian has really been a great support for me.

It was noon before we knew it. I took a shower to try and feel better. I did not realize how much bleeding one has after giving birth. It is kind of scary. We called our family and talked with friends. Brian uploaded some pictures of Austin for people to see. Everyone was so excited about him.

My parents came up to visit us. They brought Brian some cookies and me a muffin. It was very nice. Brian really liked the cookies. They got to spend time with Austin. They are so excited about him too. He is really the center of attention these days. It is so cute! I never realized how exciting having a baby is. We are really enjoying this experience.

After my parents left we worked on breastfeeding again with one of the nurses that we had. She was kind of harsh and not encouraging. In fact, I started crying while she was there. Brian stepped in and put the nurse in her place. The nurse had me pump to help with my nipples. It was helpful but she was not gentle at all. Breastfeeding should not hurt but you do feel the push and pull motion and that takes time to get use to. The nurse was trying to tell me it was supposed to be painful and I needed to get used to it. Most of the pain wasn't from Austin but from how rough she was handling me trying to get the latch started.

Brian and I ate dinner and tried to get some sleep. Austin sleeps a lot but he does not like sleeping by himself. He either wants to be touched or rocked. Brian has become the expert on this. I am trying but I am having a little harder time moving around so getting Austin during the middle of the night does not go easy for me.

All and all we had a good first day with Austin. He is adjusting to his outside life and we are adjusting to parenthood. This has been an amazing experience. It has brought Brian and I even closer together. We are so proud of our son. He is absolutely perfect!

Delivery (39 weeks)

Brian took me to the hospital. I was getting extremely uncomfortable with contractions sometimes only 2 minutes apart. It was hard with Brian driving because he had to focus on driving and was unable to comfort me much like back at home. I was pretty emotional during the trip to the hospital. Throughout this pregnancy my hormones have not been that crazy and I have not been too emotional. But during the car ride there, I was emotional. I was scared, in pain, and did not know what to expect. I had never done this before and I was starting to doubt myself.

Once we got to the hospital, Brian dropped me off at the door and I waited for him to park the car. There was no way I was going anywhere without Brian. I decided I wanted to walk up to labor and delivery. It was a long walk but I knew I could do it. I had to stop a few times along the way for contractions but I made it. Someone saw us and offered to get a wheelchair, but I told them I wanted to walk. We checked in at the desk. They were not that friendly at first. They asked why I was here and seemed to be annoyed that I was having contractions at the desk. I was completely in control however. I was not screaming or acting funny. I would breathe though them then continue to do what they asked. I don't think they thought I was really having strong contractions that far into labor.
Next they placed me in a triage room. The nurse made a rude comment about us bringing our hospital bag. She was skeptical that we would even be admitted. This did not start things off on a good note but we were determined to make this a positive experience. The physician checked me and realized I was 6-7 cm and 95% effaced (you need to be 10 cm to deliver). Need less to say, we were staying and having this baby pretty soon.

I was never really sure if my water had broke. In triage the one test showed it did however the other showed it did not. Later we realized that the bag of water was still surrounding baby’s head. My bag of water probably had a small leak, but had never really ruptured fully.

They moved me to a labor and delivery room. It was amazing because now all of a sudden everyone was in rush mode to get everything ready. They prepared the room for delivery and with equipment needed for the baby after the birth. There were 4-5 nurses doing a lot of different things to get me settled and ready. Now they knew we meant business and we were not so crazy for coming to the hospital.

All the nurses were much nicer from this point forward. In their defense they probably see a lot of people coming to the hospital when they should not be there yet. Also, as we later found out, most first time moms come in planning to have a natural child birth but few actually do. We at least took natural childbirth classes so that helped. They said only a few percent of people deliver naturally. Our second shift nurse said it has been 1-2 months since she last had someone who delivered naturally. We wrote a birth plan, but never actually handed out copies. Brian just talked to them about what we wanted and decided it wasn't necessary. It was nice because the nurse allowed me to be on the birthing ball. At first she was not too sure about this idea but soon agreed that it would be fine. They even let me take off the monitors for a while once they established that everything looked good. The birthing ball was wonderful. It really helped with the pain and pressure. I put it at the foot of the bed and held onto the bed while facing the bed with my head on a couple of pillows. It worked out nice.

After about an hour or two alone on the ball the nurse asked me to please get in bed. Baby’s heart rate was dropping during contractions. Also it was hard for them to pick up baby’s heart beat all the time when I was on the ball. I agreed and it was probably a good time to get into bed. Once I got into bed I tried making a nest like we learned about in Bradley classes. I needed to get a comfortable and relaxed as possible. A hospital bed is not the most comfortable. They checked me and I was about 8 cm dilated now.

Brian was amazing! I could not have done this without him. Yes, I delivered the baby but Brian really did do so much work too. If it was not for him, I know I could not have done it! Brian would get me cool washcloths as needed. I was hot most of the time during labor. He would massage my head and back constantly. Anything I needed, he was there! I really cannot give him enough credit! Even the nurses were jealous of what a great support person Brian was and wished they could have had all those massages.

When I hit the transition stage in labor things got pretty intense. I tried to focus but I did not have one certain thing to focus on. I had brought things but none of them interested me at that time. Most of the time I had my eyes closed and was holding on to the side of the bed. Brian kept reassuring that I was doing great and encouraging me to keep it up. My doctor arrived and had to break my water. They had talked about having another doctor do it about an hour earlier, but he got pulled into a surgery so I had more time to wait and see. Since it still hadn't broken and I was already 9.5 cm at that point, they went ahead and broke it. Towards the end of transition, I still was not able to push but they told me I could bear down if needed. That was wonderful. I really wanted to bear down so I did that a lot. That was the first time that I really started making noises. The pain was pretty intense!

Finally I was at the pushing stage. I was thinking that was going to be better. Pushing did not go so well for me. I could not find a comfortable position. I would end up fighting against myself and I knew I was not making any progress. Then one of the nurses suggested the squat bar and that was the best thing ever. They lowered down part of the bed so I could use the squat bar to squat and push. I did that a few times and it helped, but it didn't work for long. Eventually I ended up laying back down on by back. The squat bar was there and was helpful because I could rest my feet up there while waiting to push again between contractions. I pushed for about an hour before our beautiful son was born! He was born at 8:56pm on 1-22-11. He was 8lb 1.5 oz and 21 inches long.


Right after he was born they placed him on my chest. I was still amazed that I actually delivered this baby naturally which we had been waiting for so long. I was shaking from everything my body had been though but it was such a great feeling to have baby in my arms. Brian cut the cord and took pictures. We named our precious baby boy: Austin Patrick. We just love him so much! We could not ask for anything more. Everything so far says that he is healthy and that is all that matters.

The nurses took Austin to the nursery to get him cleaned up. Before they did this, Brian went downstairs and got my parents and they came up to see the baby. To help me focus, I wanted Brian to be the only one in the delivery room with me other than the doctors and nurses. My parents had been down in the waiting room since we got to the hospital. I also ended up taking a shower because I felt so gross from everything from labor.

Finally they took me to my new postpartum room around midnight. My dad was nice enough to go get us dinner at 11pm at night. We were all hungry. Then the nurses brought Austin back into our room and I fed him and we all tried to get some sleep.

We never told our family what the names were going to be. During labor, Brian sent everyone pre-programmed clues as text messages. Several people figured out what names we had lined up. Our theme was cities. Austin (city) Patrick (Brian's middle name) was the choice if it was a boy and Sydney (city) Lynn (my middle name) if it was a girl.

Here were the clues Brian sent out via text message during labor:

• If it is a boy, it could have the same nickname as one of the Cavs players. (Anthony Parker - nickname is A.P.)


• If it is a girl, its nickname could be similar to a medical syndrome we want to avoid (SIDs)


• Both names have a common theme. The theme is not the Cavs but it is something we have spent more money on than the Cavs. (Travel)


• The most fitting day of birth for either name might be January 26 because of this holiday (Australia Day)


• No worries mate. You'll find out eventually (hint towards Australia for Sydney, Australia and Austin for starting like Australia)


• Both names have decline in popularity over the last 10 years but were both still in the top 80 most popular names as of 2009

Leaving for Hospital (38 weeks)

My contractions are getting closer together. They are now about 30-45 seconds in length and getting down below the 5 minute mark. They have been spaced by 3-5 minutes. It is 3:24pm right now on Saturday January 22 and we are leaving for the hospital. The average spacing of the last 5 contractions has been about 3 minutes and getting shorter, so it's probably time to go. I still don't know if my water broke for sure since I have continued dampness. Brian already warmed up the car and we are all ready to go. Keep us in your prayers.

Early First Stage Labor (39 weeks)

Last night we went and got Brian's haircut and went out to dinner at Parasons in Stow. We knew that this might be our last time out without baby.

Once we got home, we tried to get everything ready because we were convinced that we may be going to the hospital in the middle of the night. I spent most of the night on the couch with contractions. Brian tried to go to bed early too in case we had to get up to go to the hospital. He had a hard time getting to sleep because of all the excitement but finally did and got some sleep. I had to get up to go to the bathroom about every hour, but I did manage to get some sleep so that's good.

Last night I also lost my mucus plug. My water hadn't broken yet, so I kept an extra blanket on the couch where I was sleeping just in case. Around 3am I noticed my underwear was wet, but I couldn't tell if it was related to the mucus plug or because my water broke. My underwear has been damp all day and I have changed them 3 times. I'm still not sure if my water broke yet.

While in the bathroom, I noticed the ceiling dripping down stairs. There was some type of a leak so Brian took apart the bathroom closet up stairs to investigate. It wasn't anything major fortunately.

This morning when I got up I went downstairs and got our birthing ball. It was more comfortable to sit on it. My contractions have been very sporadic overnight. Right now it is around 2pm. I called the doctor just a few minutes ago. My contractions are still between 6-11 minutes apart, but I don't know if my water broke. That's the only thing that concerns us. He said to watch for any signs of wetness from my water breaking and to go to the hospital if that happens or the contractions get closer than 5 minutes.

We've been timing them and they are starting to get closer together. The closest was now about 3 minutes apart. It's 2:25 PM right now. The contractions are the weirdest thing because they are such intense pain for a short time. When you're not having one though, you feel just fine. We will keep an eye on them and probably go to the hospital later today. I am debating going to the store so I can walk around. It is very cold outside. Last night's low was -1 degrees and it is only 15 degrees so walking outside isn't an option. I think I'm just going to walk around the house for a little bit and see how it goes. I'm using an app on my droid phone to time the contractions with Brian's help.

Wish me luck!

Not feeling well (38 weeks 6 days)

This week has been crazy like usual. We had a doctor’s appointment on Monday. I did not make much progress (2 cm and 75-80% effaced). But that was okay with us. However Melissa was not very happy. She said I disappointed her on her birthday. Baby is just not ready to come out yet.

Wednesday night we went to the Cavs game. Brian got us seats on the floor. With the Cavs being so bad, there are tickets available. It is a bonus of being a season ticket holder. We knew that this may be our last Cavs game before baby so it was neat to be on the floor. Unfortunately my favorite player Mo did not play but I got to see the other players very close. It's different to be able to see facial expressions and hear the players than sitting in the upper level like we usually do.

Thursday night, we went to our Bradley class. We sit on the floor for the class and being 9 months pregnant that is pretty uncomfortable for me. They went over some baby basics but since we were not sure we would be there for this class we took a baby basics class back in December. We are glad that we did since it was in more depth.

Last night, I woke up with some lower abdominal pains around 3am. It was pretty uncomfortable. Then I started to have some diarrhea. I could not sleep for the rest of the night. I kept getting up going to the bathroom and trying to reposition to get comfortable. I knew they were not real contractions but I did not know if real contractions would start soon. Then I became very nauseous. Brian even had to go find me a puke buckets just in case. I decided I needed to stay home from work today. I woke Brian up at 5:30 and told him that if he needed to go to work to do anything, he better go in now! He got up and went to work early.

I slept most of the day. I am trying to rest up because I have a feeling that labor may be coming soon. I don’t want to go into labor exhausted if I can prevent that. Around 4pm I finally got off the couch and took a shower. Brian and I are going to go out to get his hair cut. This will be the last time we get his hair cut without Baby. We are getting really excited. We just wish Baby would give us some notice on when he or she is planning on arriving. Is it going to be tonight or next week? I guess we need to relax and wait and see what happens. We need to learn to adjust to Baby’s time.

We took my weekly pregnancy progress picture tonight in case this ends up being our last one. We usually take them on Sunday, but decided to do one Friday night too just in case. It snowed about 3 inches last night and has been windy. Brian took this picture around 6:30 when he was heading into work. You can see the snow blowing off the building. The low temperature tonight is supposed to be 2 degrees!

Waiting (38 weeks 2 days)

We made it to 38 weeks. Right now we are playing the waiting game. We know that Baby can come anytime now but we are still hoping we have another week or so to get everything finalized.

I have been in my new job for one week. Last week was extremely busy for me. The main reason is that I need to prepare for the possibility of not coming back to work every night before I go home. I might not be there for 3 months, so I need to leave things cleaned up. That is really hard for me to accept right now. I am trying to get as much done as possible. Brian’s job has also been extremely busy. So we don’t see each other much during the week. We come home late, eat dinner, and I basically relax on the couch because I am so tired.

This weekend my mom took me for a pedicure. Now my toes are all pretty for labor. It was nice and relaxing. After the pedicure, we went out for a late breakfast. I really love breakfast food. It was a nice morning out.

Brian and I also worked in Baby’s room a little bit. It is crazy because Baby’s room has been ready for weeks however we keep buying more things. Some of them arrived and we put them away. This week we got a mobile for the crib and larger receiving blankets.

We have been reading the book “The Happiest Baby on the Block”. It talks about the importance of swaddling. The receiving blankets you buy at the store are not big enough to keep baby swaddled in so we bought new ones (48" square instead of just 30" square like at most stores). Also Brian got me a new set of headphones for labor. We did not want to bring my nice travel pair to the hospital in case they get damaged.

Brian has been in charge of packing the hospital bags. It is the weirdest thing because Brian has never packed for any of our trips. I always pack everything! However I am not into this packing thing right now so poor Brian has to do it all. It is really cute. Brian has been wonderful. He has lists that he has made to make sure we bring everything. We now even have a list on our refrigerator with our last minute items we need to pack. Brian has now officially packed the car and everything but a few items such as the camera, computer, breast pump are in the there. Also my makeup and hairdryer will need to be packed as we leave the house since I use them everyday. Worst case my parents can stop by our house to pick up our last minute items if for some reason I am unable to come home before the hospital.

I really need another week to wrap everything up before Baby arrives. However I realize Baby is going to come when he/she wants to. I am still pretty tried most of the time. That may be because I am working 10 plus hours a day. I am starting to think that Brian is going though the nesting phase because I am just too exhausted to do it. There is no way I could do this without him!

Tomorrow is another doctor’s appointment. We will see what he says and hopefully everything still looks good. Also tomorrow is Auntie Melissa’s Birthday.

Happy Birthday Auntie Melissa from Baby Mattie!