Picture taken by the uber-talented and all around awesome guy, Dean Dixon, who shot the main photos in the annual report I did. We ran into him in his Germantown neighborhood yesterday shooting pictures of Oktoberfest. We gathered up the family and checked the event out for about an hour and an half. The best part was the kettle corn, yum.
Reed did great, but it wore me out!
My sweet mom has been here helping out for the past two weeks. She is going home tomorrow (Sunday) and I am sure my dad is really missing her - and the dog and the cat are too, I bet! I cannot begin to tell you how fortunate I am to have such an awesome mom. She has done so much for us while she has been here — just basically being at our beck and call, something she was so unselfishly happy to do. With my unexpected induction and postpartum complications, it was really, really good to have her to turn to for extra help as we navigated uncharted water in such an exhausted state. She also was in the room when I delivered Reed, and it was so nice to have her there, sometimes you just need your mommy!
Anyway, I am going to be sad for her to leave but I hope it was a positive experience for her to be here and spend these first days with her grandson. Even though she and dad are three hours away, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing lots more of them in the future!
I love you mom - I am so lucky to have you and Reed is very blessed to have such a loving grandmother! I am so glad you got to share this experience with us and I really, really appreciate everything you have done! You are amazing!
My family mostly lives on farms or are involved in farming in one way or another. When Reed was born last Friday, my uncle Dale and aunt Carole also had a little baby male calf born on the same day. Guess what his name is — you got it — Reed!
Well, little Reed is beginning to feast from the boob buffet a little more each day. We’ll get back on track soon.
I am feeling a lot better and we even went out for little evening stroller walk, albeit a very short one.
Ok, ok, I know I have been bad on posting pictures! Per many requests, here are some pics of “Reed the Weed” aka “Reedle the Beetle.”
Going home outfit (with puppies of course)
First ride in the cars eat on the way home
Working on his Elvis face/not sure what is going on here …
He is a big fan of the swing and it doesn’t even have to swing for him to be so cozy!
Got a call this morning that I have preeclampsia, which is a condition usually associated with pregnancy and not typical for postpartum. It can become serious and lead to seizures and worse, but apparently it looks like I have a mild case so far and am just being monitored. Let’s hope it stays that way. Keep having a fever, but the highest its gone is 101 so I just have to watch it. I am just really weak.
Sweet Reed is doing great and he had his first sponge bath today. He did really well, no cries! As soon as I feel better, I’ll try to get some coaching on the breastfeeding — for now I am pumping what I can, and - gasp - supplementing with formula. It was NOT my plan but you have to do what you have to do.
I just need to get my strength back so I can do more with my sweet boy. I can’t wait til I can show him off to everyone. I will try to post some pictures tomorrow.
Thanks to everyone for the encouraging words.
We had a rough, completely sleepless night last night trying to feed Reed (unsuccessfully). I think this is pretty much a rite of passage for all new parents, or at least that is what I am telling myself to not feel like a big loser.
In the morning, was feeling really light-headed and had an awful headache that began and never ended since Sunday, as well as my feet were very swollen along with some other issues (won’t get into the gross stuff) so I ended up having to go in to see the OB. I still have not been getting enough sleep so they told me I absolutely needed my rest, and that my long labor really took a lot out of me.
They ran some tests, and so far they got one result back showing I was anemic. I was told to eat some protein and take an iron supplement. I should hear back from the other tests on Tuesday.
This evening, I started chilling and had a temperature of 100. So, needless to say, I am not feeling so great. I hope to sleep tonight and that I will start feeling more myself.
Tomorrow, we’ll see the pediatrician’s nurse to learn better how to breastfeed, and hope that we can get that better under control.
Anyway, Reed is doing completely awesome, and gets cuter by the second, so its not all a downer today.
We got home around noon today with our sweet boy. He handled the 1 mile car ride like a champ. Simone was wagging her tail to greet us when she got home and seems to be handling a new addition to our little home just fine. The cats seem fine, too.
He slept for a long time today so we got in a good nap, but man, I am still really exhausted. Having to stay on the pain meds like clockwork and am dealing with a lot of normal but unexpected swelling, particularly in my feet and my face. My belly is still massive and I guess I now look about 6 months pregnant. We were able to take a short stroller walk down the street with him just before dark. He seemed to like it a lot. Simone seems to be thrilled that she might get a lot more walks in now!
I have not posted a lot about the induction and Reed’s birth so I thought it would be easiest to share on here for anyone interested. I feel sort of fuzzy on a lot of the details so I am sure I have left some things out.
We went in the hospital Wednesday night around 8:30 pm to start the process. It took a full 24 hours to finally get dilated to the point I could begin push, with no rest, just lots of contractions. Thank goodness for the epidural. The anesthesiology team did a great job. I was so annoyed that I couldnt have anything to eat but popsicles and jello, I was starving!
Began pushing around 10 pm Thursday night, they said I would get three hours to try on my own before the doctor would come in. My OB was not on call so it was another very good OB on the team. After three hours of pushing like crazy, we didn’t get too far so he came in. He said he was willing to try for a while to let me get him out vaginally or we could talk C-section. He said we may need a C-section anyway, but I was not having it! Reed was very stubborn, and was high up in an odd position which was going to make it tough, so the OB said he would have to use the vaccum as I pushed. We worked for another three hours (Chris cheering me on the whole time) to get him out with tons of people in the room (dignity flew out the window), and just before the OB was going to make us stop he came out!
He was just perfect - 7 pounds, 13 ounces and 21 inches. He was smaller than ultrasounds estimated he would be but thank goodness he was not any larger. I would have been so disappointed if I had to have a C-sction after 30 hours of laboring. They had to do an episitomy on me so I would not tear so I am going to be sore for a while.
I finally got some sleep Friday night, and a little bit last night. Hopefully I’ll eventually catch back up on my sleep though I know we are not going to get a lot. I am slowly learning how to breastfeed, but man it hurts terribly right now. I am currently sitting here with ice packs on my chest. We’ll get it down one of these days, we both have to learn to do it correctly.
Chris is incredible with Reed - he does so good and its a beautiful thing to see. He is helping me so much right now as I recover, and I am so lucky to have him. We definitely are so bonded and even more in love.
It’s going to be chaotic around here but we could not be happier. Chris is so in enamored with him and I never knew I could love someone so much. We are very blessed and he is the absolute joy of our lives! Of course, the grandparents are over the moon!
I want to thank everyone who has sent their love and well wishes, we are overwhelmed by the support we have been given throughout this journey. I can’t begin to express how much it means to us to know we are loved and Reed is already loved by so many!
We are totally enamored by Reed. Anything and everything he does of course makes us ohhhh and ahhhh. Its hard to take our eyes off him. Nothing is better than dozing while cuddling him and kissing his soft head.
It took us 30 hours but look at the result. Isn’t our little boy handsome?
Reed was born at 2:28am and weighed in at 7lb 13oz…