As I sit here watching Mason play on his activity mat, I can hardly believe he has been in our lives for 12 whole weeks! I can't even remember what life is like without him! He is the center of our world! He is smiling, coo-ing, and starting to giggle. He loves watching his hands and makes fists. We have even caught him sucking his thumb! He is much calmer in the evenings, and doesn't cry during his baths. He has even slept through the night 3 times! Mike and I are hoping that this lasts!
Two weeks ago, Mason got baptized. It was such a wonderful day, and he had a lot of family come for the occasion. He got to meet his great-grandparents from Canada! This weekend, we are making our first trip up to the lake. We are interested to see how it goes spending the night in another place, but he needs to learn sometime! Any advice from my fellow moms would be appreciated...I want to keep this sleeping through the night thing going :)
I went back to work 3 weeks ago, and that has been quite an adjustment. It is very hard to be away from him during the day, but I appreciate the hours I get to spend in the evening with him. That time is very special. It helps that I get off work at 3:30 and can have him home by 4pm most days. I am still breastfeeding and pumping at work. It is quite a commitment to keep, but well worth it! It is my time to stay connected to him. Mason seems to really like his daycare. He sleeps and eats great, and has a great time playing with the other babies!
Well that is all for now, I hope everyone has a great 4th of July weekend (or Canada Day) and I will keep you updated!
June 29, 2011
May 31, 2011
It has been a few weeks....
So I have realized it has been a few weeks since I've been able to blog. Things are going great here at home with Mason! He is starting to smile, starting to play with his toys, and starting to sleep much better. This is my last week home with him, I start work next Thursday. Mason starts daycare the same day as well. We get to go and meet his teachers tomorrow afternoon. It is a very bittersweet time for me. I am not sure I am ready to leave him, but I know he is in good hands. I know that people do this every day, but it is still going to be a very difficult transition for me. Our family could use your prayers in the next few weeks as we make this transition.
We have gotten Mason on a schedule over the past few weeks to help ease this transition, and I have to say it has been very nice for us! He is eating every 3 hours during the day, taking one good nap in the afternoon (as well as several catnaps all day!), and is almost sleeping through the night. He only gets up one time at 3am. We have had to wake him up a few times to feed him, so I think he is getting ready to start going all night. Yay!
Mike and I are both doing very well, and enjoying our increased amount of sleep. We feel like we are starting to emerge from the "baby daze" we have been in the past 2 months. We even got to go out to dinner just the two of us for his birthday!
I will keep the blog updated, and wish us luck as I start working again! :)
We have gotten Mason on a schedule over the past few weeks to help ease this transition, and I have to say it has been very nice for us! He is eating every 3 hours during the day, taking one good nap in the afternoon (as well as several catnaps all day!), and is almost sleeping through the night. He only gets up one time at 3am. We have had to wake him up a few times to feed him, so I think he is getting ready to start going all night. Yay!
Mike and I are both doing very well, and enjoying our increased amount of sleep. We feel like we are starting to emerge from the "baby daze" we have been in the past 2 months. We even got to go out to dinner just the two of us for his birthday!
I will keep the blog updated, and wish us luck as I start working again! :)
May 11, 2011
5 weeks tomorrow!
I can't believe how much time flies! He is almost 5 weeks old, and before I know it I will be back at work. He is growing by leaps and bounds every single day. Looking at pictures from the birth, he hardly looks like the same baby. We went to the doctor on Monday and he weighed in at a whopping 11lbs and 6 oz! He is a very healthy baby! He has started to sleep much better too. We moved him to the nursery at night, although he is still sleeping in the bassinett instead of the crib. That is our next project, but he still hates it! He is sleeping for 5 hour stretches at night though, which has been much welcomed. Several nights this past week he has only gotten up 1 time. I hope he can at least keep this up so when I have to go back to work again, I can get some sleep!
I went to the doctor yesterday too, and am recovering very nicely. I have been "cleared" to resume exercising (i.e. running!). I know it will be a very slow process back, and I need to take it easy, which is going to be very hard for me to handle. I went for a run/walk yesterday for 27 minutes, and it was much more difficult than I imagined. My body doesn't feel the same, my hips really hurt and my core is shot. I am hoping to get Mason into the jogging stroller in the next few weeks so I can go out for runs a little easier, and hopefully start getting back in shape. Although it is hard, it is so nice to exercise again and regain that little bit of independence I miss. I really missed the runner inside of me and I am so glad she is slowly starting to return. I am starting to feel like myself again! :)
I went to the doctor yesterday too, and am recovering very nicely. I have been "cleared" to resume exercising (i.e. running!). I know it will be a very slow process back, and I need to take it easy, which is going to be very hard for me to handle. I went for a run/walk yesterday for 27 minutes, and it was much more difficult than I imagined. My body doesn't feel the same, my hips really hurt and my core is shot. I am hoping to get Mason into the jogging stroller in the next few weeks so I can go out for runs a little easier, and hopefully start getting back in shape. Although it is hard, it is so nice to exercise again and regain that little bit of independence I miss. I really missed the runner inside of me and I am so glad she is slowly starting to return. I am starting to feel like myself again! :)
April 29, 2011
Mason is 3 weeks old!
Mason and I are a little tired this morning because we have been up since 4:30am watching the royal wedding! Everything is going well with our new little family. We have been coming much more comfortable with living with a newborn. Mason has definitely "woken up" since we hit our due date, and is much more awake and not shy about letting us know if he needs something. He likes to be awake in the morning, early evening, and between 10 and midnight. We are trying to get him to sleep a little better at night. He sleeps for 3 to 3 1/2 hours at night, which is still exhausting, but we are surprisingly getting used to it! I know that no one will believe us, but Mason rolled over twice this week! He rolled from his tummy to his back during tummy time. I don't think he realized what he did or how he did it, but it was exciting! He just got rocking and rolled himself over.
I took Mason to breastfeeding group on Tuesday at the hospital, and he weighed in at 9lbs 2.7oz! I couldn't believe it! That boy just eats and eats! I know you cannot overfeed a breastfed baby, but wow! We were defintely the overachievers in class. He feeds so well and efficiently (getting around 3oz per feeding) and was much bigger and more alert than all of the other babies in class :)
Everything is going well with me. The stress and fatigue of the past 3 weeks is starting to catch up with me, and I am much more tired during the day. I find it frustrating not being able to get any housework done, and I am trying to live with the fact that the floors may be dirty and the bed may not get made. All of the rain and two dogs with muddy paws hasn't helped my cause. But, I did fit into a pair of pre-pregnancy jeans which made me very happy.
Mike is also doing well, and he has really embraced his role as a new dad. He holds Mason all evening and is extremely good at calming him down. He does seem to be handling the loss of sleep much better than me!
Well that is all for now...I will try to keep the blog updated as much as possible!
I took Mason to breastfeeding group on Tuesday at the hospital, and he weighed in at 9lbs 2.7oz! I couldn't believe it! That boy just eats and eats! I know you cannot overfeed a breastfed baby, but wow! We were defintely the overachievers in class. He feeds so well and efficiently (getting around 3oz per feeding) and was much bigger and more alert than all of the other babies in class :)
Everything is going well with me. The stress and fatigue of the past 3 weeks is starting to catch up with me, and I am much more tired during the day. I find it frustrating not being able to get any housework done, and I am trying to live with the fact that the floors may be dirty and the bed may not get made. All of the rain and two dogs with muddy paws hasn't helped my cause. But, I did fit into a pair of pre-pregnancy jeans which made me very happy.
Mike is also doing well, and he has really embraced his role as a new dad. He holds Mason all evening and is extremely good at calming him down. He does seem to be handling the loss of sleep much better than me!
Well that is all for now...I will try to keep the blog updated as much as possible!
April 17, 2011
Home for one week
So, we have been home with Mason for a little over one week! It has been fun and challenging all at the same time. He is starting to have definite periods of sleep and awake. He doesn't seem to have his days and nights mixed up too much, but sometimes at 9 or 10 at night he decides to be really awake. Mike and I have been getting some sleep (only 2 to 3 hours at a time), but it's been much appreciated. Mason usually gets up only 2 times a night, and last night he gave us a 4 hour stretch between feedings!
He has been sleeping in our room since we have been home, but are attempting to transtion him to his crib. He wouldn't lay down in there when we first got home because I think it just seemed a little too big, but since he is more comfortable here (and sleeping better) we are going to give it a try. He currently is taking his first nap in there as we speak! This should be an interesting transition, but we would really like to have him sleeping in his nursery.
All else is well with the Drew family! Mike is back at work and seems to be handling the lack of sleep fine, and I am feeling more and more comfortable home with the baby. I am feeling so much better since the delivery and am anxious to get back to being active again. We have been going for short walks, but hopefully we can go a little longer in the weeks to come. I have not been cleared to give running a shot until 6 weeks postpartum, so only 4.5 weeks to go!
He has been sleeping in our room since we have been home, but are attempting to transtion him to his crib. He wouldn't lay down in there when we first got home because I think it just seemed a little too big, but since he is more comfortable here (and sleeping better) we are going to give it a try. He currently is taking his first nap in there as we speak! This should be an interesting transition, but we would really like to have him sleeping in his nursery.
All else is well with the Drew family! Mike is back at work and seems to be handling the lack of sleep fine, and I am feeling more and more comfortable home with the baby. I am feeling so much better since the delivery and am anxious to get back to being active again. We have been going for short walks, but hopefully we can go a little longer in the weeks to come. I have not been cleared to give running a shot until 6 weeks postpartum, so only 4.5 weeks to go!
April 13, 2011
Mason is 6 days old...
So we have been home with Mason for a few days and it has been a learning process for the whole family. Mason loves to be cuddled all of the time, and he loves his swing, but the minute we lay him down in his crib or bassinet, he is a screaming fool. That has been very fun at night! Mike has become an expert swaddler, which has helped him calm down at night. We are up every 2 to 2 1/2 hours at night to feed and change him, which is pretty good all things considered. Last night, Mason started to pee through his diaper and sleeper every time he woke up to feed. After going through all of the sheets and sleepers we had last night, we are trying to find a solution to this little problem.
Other than that, he has been absolutely wonderful. We have been able to take him out for walks, and he has been letting us get some stuff done around the house. I still cannot believe he is ours and we get to keep him. I still can't stop staring at him, is that normal?
Mike goes back to work tomorrow, so wish him luck! He is going to be a very tired new dad, and mom isn't quite sure how to handle Mason all day without him, but luckily my mom will be here for the first few days to lend a helping hand!
Other than that, he has been absolutely wonderful. We have been able to take him out for walks, and he has been letting us get some stuff done around the house. I still cannot believe he is ours and we get to keep him. I still can't stop staring at him, is that normal?
Mike goes back to work tomorrow, so wish him luck! He is going to be a very tired new dad, and mom isn't quite sure how to handle Mason all day without him, but luckily my mom will be here for the first few days to lend a helping hand!
April 10, 2011
Mason is finally home!
So I haven't been able to update for a few days because we have been a little busy. On April 7th, 2011 at 11:36am, we brought Mason Michael Drew into the world. He was 7lbs, 2oz and 20.5 inches long. I had been laboring on and off for several days before we actually got going. I had kept having contractions, but nothing created a pattern or lasted for more than a few hours. That all changed on Wednesday. I had been feeling pretty crummy for a few days (sick to my stomach, no appetitie, crampy, crabby), but on Wednesday it kept getting worse and worse. I worked all day, but by the end of the day I could hardly concentrate on my job. It took every bit of energy I had not to bite my patient's heads off. Finally one of the cardiologists I work with pulled me aside and asked me what was wrong. I complained about how much my back hurt, about how I was having contractions pretty frequently, and about how I couldn't eat. She told me I was in labor and should call my OB and get checked. I called our doula Katy, and she thought this was it also. After a frantic phone call to Mike, who left work and made it to the hospital in record time, I went in to the OB office to get checked. My regular doctor wasn't there, but the doctor who checked me said I hadn't changed too much (3cm, 80% effaced), but he was moving down and my water was bulging (gross, I know). She sent me to the hospital to be observed.
Mike, Katy and I spend the next 2 hours in triage getting monitored. They were coming about 5 to 7 minutes apart, but I still wasn't making any changes so I got sent home. Katy came to our house and helped me get through the contraction and relax (they were now coming 4 minutes apart), but we weren't going back to the hospital until we knew it was the "real thing". We finally fell asleep about 11:30, but I was woken up at 1:30 with strong contractions coming between 2 and 3 minutes apart. I tried to relax, but after about 30 minutes I couldn't stand to keep laying down and I got Mike up. I got into the shower and they got stronger and stronger. Mike called Katy and the on call Dr. and we went into the hospital again at about 3:30am. In triage, they said I may have progressed a half a centimeter, and the doctor wasn't going to keep me again! I was getting upset because I was in so much pain, but nothing was happening! So, stubborn as I am, we stayed for another 2.5 hours laboring to see if we could get things going. Katy and I (while Mike slept in triage) walked the maternity ward getting the contractions going. They were 2 minutes apart and getting stronger. Finally my doctor arrived at around 6am and came to see me in triage. He checked me and I was only 4cm...that's it! But he knew me and my history, and saw how uncomfortable I was. He knew I was in good labor, but because Mason was posterior (face up) he wasn't putting enough pressure on my cervix. He decided to break my water to get this going.
Finally we got a room at 7am and he broke my water at 7:40am. Then the contractions started coming hard. I was having back labor because of his position (which was awful), but we kept walking the halls and laboring on the ball. I had decided to go natural and I am very stubborn! The pain was intense, but manageable. With the help of our fabulous doula Katy and my wonderful husband, I was able to make it through. They did counterpressure, helped me breathe, and did all of the comfort measures to help me get through. Two hours later, I got checked and I had made it to 6 cm! Then about 20 minutes later, Katy wanted me to get checked again because the contractions were changing. They were really strong and not just in my back, but everywhere. I was feeling nauseated and hot, but starting to shake. They were harder to get through. I was at 7cm and starting to go through transition. That stage of labor was the hardest by far. My doctor came to check on me and knew it wasn't going to be long because of how fast I was progressing. Mason was still posterior so he wanted me to lay down on my side to get him to turn around. I had not been laying down at all during labor, and when I got on the bed, the contractions were unbearable. I was progressing so fast. In 20 minutes I was at 8.5 to 9cm, but could hardly stand the pain. The doctor was called back asap, and I was almost at 10 cm. I had to do a few more contractions and then I could start to push. That was the point I didn't think I could get through this and was wishing I had pain medicine, but it was too late because he was coming. I stayed in control and did everything I could to get through it. I had an incredible urge to push and wasn't allowed to push yet. It was such an intense pain. Finally I was allowed to push, and it felt so good. After a few hard pushes, the doctor and nurses started to gown up and get everything sterile and I realized that I was pushing well and the baby was coming. After 17 total minutes of pushing, I hear Mike say that the baby was here, and I opened my eyes to Mason getting put in my chest. It was 4 hour after my water was broken. It was the most amazing feeling in the entire world. It was worth all of the pain I had been through. Going natural was the most intense and amazing thing in the entire world. I wouldn't change it for the world. To get to feel every ache and pain needed to bring another human being in the world was such an indescribable feeling. And to see Mason come out absolutely perfect and healthy really confirmed that I made the right descision.
Sorry for the long story, but after 2 days in the hospital, we are finally home with out little boy. He is perfect and healthy. No one could believe he was a 37week and 2 day baby. He had no breathing problems, no jaundice, and breastfed like a champion. We could latch him by the 1st day and have had no problems since. He is off the charts with the wet and dirty diapers and my milk came in after 36 hours which is incredible! He is amazing everyone with how well he is doing. He is even letting us sleep for 2-3 hours at a time. I credit all of this to going natural. They only medicine I had the entire hospital stay was some Aleve after childbirth to help with the soreness and cramping associated with breastfeeding. That's it.
I will post some pictures soon. Mike and I are home and so in love with our beautiful son Mason Michael Drew.
Mike, Katy and I spend the next 2 hours in triage getting monitored. They were coming about 5 to 7 minutes apart, but I still wasn't making any changes so I got sent home. Katy came to our house and helped me get through the contraction and relax (they were now coming 4 minutes apart), but we weren't going back to the hospital until we knew it was the "real thing". We finally fell asleep about 11:30, but I was woken up at 1:30 with strong contractions coming between 2 and 3 minutes apart. I tried to relax, but after about 30 minutes I couldn't stand to keep laying down and I got Mike up. I got into the shower and they got stronger and stronger. Mike called Katy and the on call Dr. and we went into the hospital again at about 3:30am. In triage, they said I may have progressed a half a centimeter, and the doctor wasn't going to keep me again! I was getting upset because I was in so much pain, but nothing was happening! So, stubborn as I am, we stayed for another 2.5 hours laboring to see if we could get things going. Katy and I (while Mike slept in triage) walked the maternity ward getting the contractions going. They were 2 minutes apart and getting stronger. Finally my doctor arrived at around 6am and came to see me in triage. He checked me and I was only 4cm...that's it! But he knew me and my history, and saw how uncomfortable I was. He knew I was in good labor, but because Mason was posterior (face up) he wasn't putting enough pressure on my cervix. He decided to break my water to get this going.
Finally we got a room at 7am and he broke my water at 7:40am. Then the contractions started coming hard. I was having back labor because of his position (which was awful), but we kept walking the halls and laboring on the ball. I had decided to go natural and I am very stubborn! The pain was intense, but manageable. With the help of our fabulous doula Katy and my wonderful husband, I was able to make it through. They did counterpressure, helped me breathe, and did all of the comfort measures to help me get through. Two hours later, I got checked and I had made it to 6 cm! Then about 20 minutes later, Katy wanted me to get checked again because the contractions were changing. They were really strong and not just in my back, but everywhere. I was feeling nauseated and hot, but starting to shake. They were harder to get through. I was at 7cm and starting to go through transition. That stage of labor was the hardest by far. My doctor came to check on me and knew it wasn't going to be long because of how fast I was progressing. Mason was still posterior so he wanted me to lay down on my side to get him to turn around. I had not been laying down at all during labor, and when I got on the bed, the contractions were unbearable. I was progressing so fast. In 20 minutes I was at 8.5 to 9cm, but could hardly stand the pain. The doctor was called back asap, and I was almost at 10 cm. I had to do a few more contractions and then I could start to push. That was the point I didn't think I could get through this and was wishing I had pain medicine, but it was too late because he was coming. I stayed in control and did everything I could to get through it. I had an incredible urge to push and wasn't allowed to push yet. It was such an intense pain. Finally I was allowed to push, and it felt so good. After a few hard pushes, the doctor and nurses started to gown up and get everything sterile and I realized that I was pushing well and the baby was coming. After 17 total minutes of pushing, I hear Mike say that the baby was here, and I opened my eyes to Mason getting put in my chest. It was 4 hour after my water was broken. It was the most amazing feeling in the entire world. It was worth all of the pain I had been through. Going natural was the most intense and amazing thing in the entire world. I wouldn't change it for the world. To get to feel every ache and pain needed to bring another human being in the world was such an indescribable feeling. And to see Mason come out absolutely perfect and healthy really confirmed that I made the right descision.
Sorry for the long story, but after 2 days in the hospital, we are finally home with out little boy. He is perfect and healthy. No one could believe he was a 37week and 2 day baby. He had no breathing problems, no jaundice, and breastfed like a champion. We could latch him by the 1st day and have had no problems since. He is off the charts with the wet and dirty diapers and my milk came in after 36 hours which is incredible! He is amazing everyone with how well he is doing. He is even letting us sleep for 2-3 hours at a time. I credit all of this to going natural. They only medicine I had the entire hospital stay was some Aleve after childbirth to help with the soreness and cramping associated with breastfeeding. That's it.
I will post some pictures soon. Mike and I are home and so in love with our beautiful son Mason Michael Drew.
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