Sunday, June 29, 2014
ONE MONTH!
WOW! I cant believe Karsen is one month old today! Like I said in my previous post, he has grown so much over this last month and I cant wait to see how much more he will change throughout this first year. Tomorrow, we will go to the doctors office for his 1 month checkup! I cant wait to see how much he weighs and if he is getting any longer. Last time I weighed him, he was up to 9 pounds, 4 ounces. I would imagine he has gained more since that weigh in last Tuesday. Here are some 1 month pics I took today. Woot!
Friday, June 27, 2014
4 weeks!
I cannot believe that Karsen is 4 weeks old today yesterday (I started writing this yesterday, but then the nugget woke up and I never got back to my typing)! The time has gone by so fast...and at the same time, I feel like he should be 5 years old already. Sheesh! As I sit here, I am watching Karsen on the baby monitor as he wriggles around in his crib sleeping on his tummy next to me on the couch. We are still trying to get used to sleeping in our crib...so naps are short lived unless he is on his tummy by mom! He is such a sweet boy!
Already over 4 weeks, he has changed so much. I can hardly remember the days when he slept all day. In the last few weeks, he has been spending more time awake and even in the last week, his time awake has been a happy time! During week 2, when he was awake, he would get fussy very quickly. Recently, he has been looking around the room and has been less cranky! Earlier this week, we went through a rough couple of days as his digestive system has been "waking up" and he has started feeling the gas and poops. Poor kid would scream his head off and grunt and tense up his whole body and CRY until he could pass gas. Of course I felt like my milk was poison to him so I was just as big a mess as he was. Yikes! Today has been SO much better already. We have only had one episode of crying and red faced screaming. I hope this means we are passed that uncomfortable stage.
The first week and a half of motherhood was straight up hard...difficult...tough...no words can really describe how truly hard it was. Everyone says "it's really tough" but until I experienced it, I had NO IDEA. I think the hardest thing for me was the lack of sleep. I have always been the person who had no trouble napping mid-afternoon, and still sleeping well that evening. During pregnancy, I rarely made it to 9p before I was upstairs in bed. Most nights I was evening falling asleep at the couch by 8p. To go from that to waking up every 2 hours...wowza...I was struggling. Thank goodness around one and a half weeks, Karsen went through a growth spurt and started eating more, therefore he slept more! Hallelujah! Just what this momma needed. These days, I will occasionally nap while Karsen is sleeping during the day, but most days I stay up and get some things done around the house...or do absolutely nothing and enjoy laying on the couch while watching "quality" reality tv!
Here are some pictures of how he has changed over the weeks!
Already over 4 weeks, he has changed so much. I can hardly remember the days when he slept all day. In the last few weeks, he has been spending more time awake and even in the last week, his time awake has been a happy time! During week 2, when he was awake, he would get fussy very quickly. Recently, he has been looking around the room and has been less cranky! Earlier this week, we went through a rough couple of days as his digestive system has been "waking up" and he has started feeling the gas and poops. Poor kid would scream his head off and grunt and tense up his whole body and CRY until he could pass gas. Of course I felt like my milk was poison to him so I was just as big a mess as he was. Yikes! Today has been SO much better already. We have only had one episode of crying and red faced screaming. I hope this means we are passed that uncomfortable stage.
The first week and a half of motherhood was straight up hard...difficult...tough...no words can really describe how truly hard it was. Everyone says "it's really tough" but until I experienced it, I had NO IDEA. I think the hardest thing for me was the lack of sleep. I have always been the person who had no trouble napping mid-afternoon, and still sleeping well that evening. During pregnancy, I rarely made it to 9p before I was upstairs in bed. Most nights I was evening falling asleep at the couch by 8p. To go from that to waking up every 2 hours...wowza...I was struggling. Thank goodness around one and a half weeks, Karsen went through a growth spurt and started eating more, therefore he slept more! Hallelujah! Just what this momma needed. These days, I will occasionally nap while Karsen is sleeping during the day, but most days I stay up and get some things done around the house...or do absolutely nothing and enjoy laying on the couch while watching "quality" reality tv!
Here are some pictures of how he has changed over the weeks!
Day 1: Fresh out the womb! (8 pounds, 6 ounces)
Week 1: Doing what he does best...sleeping! (8 pounds, 6 ounces)
Week 2: Ready to watch his first Sporting game! (8 pounds, 7 ounces)
Week 3: Spending more time awake! (8 pounds, 13 ounces)
Week 4: Spending some time on his tummy while a nosy puppy looks on... (9 pounds, 4 ounces)
Week 4: So alert!
We have a little bit of a routine, but every day is still just a little different than the last...and I am sure now that I am used to this routine, he will change it up on me! At least he is cute!
MB
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Two words...LIFE. CHANGING.
Wow...I am going to just come out and say it...this first week and a half of Karsen's life has been the most rewarding, stressful, exhausting, challenging, and amazing week and a half of my life. I have experienced emotions I never even imagined I would experience as a mother. It was never any big secret. I always wanted to have kids. It has been a dream of mine for many many years. Now that I am here...wow...I had no idea what it would take to be a mother. As I sit here and type this up, I remember the times over the last week where I have felt so guilty. Guilty that all I can think about is SLEEP and I wish he would sleep just a little longer so I can sleep a little longer. But then I look at his sweet, sweet face and that guilt goes away. As each day passes, things constantly change. One day he sleeps longer between feedings...the other day, I swear he eats every 30 minutes (ok not really...but you get the idea).
On Tuesday, June 3, we had our first family outing to the pediatricians office. Clearly it was my first time going anywhere with a baby because we almost left the house without the diaper bag. YIKES! Even though I knew we would only be gone from the house for an hour, it would have been tragedy if I would have left the bag at home. Karsen did wonderfully in his carseat and didnt make a peep while waiting in the waiting room. Once back in the exam room, things were a little different. We took him out of the carseat to get his weight (back up to birth weight...woot!!!) and measure his length. I decided to just hold him until the pediatrician came in. BIG mistake. He was grunting and bearing down...and sure enough, he blew out of his diaper up his entire back, through his super cute outfit and all over my shirt. New mom lesson #1: Bring a spare change of clothes for baby AND mom. Sure I had another outfit for him...nothing for me. Oh well. We got him changed and calmed down. We made it through the rest of the appointment, then headed home. This picture isnt the best but you can see he was a little upset so it was a heated moment to even get a picture! Haha.
On Tuesday, June 3, we had our first family outing to the pediatricians office. Clearly it was my first time going anywhere with a baby because we almost left the house without the diaper bag. YIKES! Even though I knew we would only be gone from the house for an hour, it would have been tragedy if I would have left the bag at home. Karsen did wonderfully in his carseat and didnt make a peep while waiting in the waiting room. Once back in the exam room, things were a little different. We took him out of the carseat to get his weight (back up to birth weight...woot!!!) and measure his length. I decided to just hold him until the pediatrician came in. BIG mistake. He was grunting and bearing down...and sure enough, he blew out of his diaper up his entire back, through his super cute outfit and all over my shirt. New mom lesson #1: Bring a spare change of clothes for baby AND mom. Sure I had another outfit for him...nothing for me. Oh well. We got him changed and calmed down. We made it through the rest of the appointment, then headed home. This picture isnt the best but you can see he was a little upset so it was a heated moment to even get a picture! Haha.
Thursday, June 5 marked Karsen's 1 week old birthday! He was still very much a "sleep, wake, eat, repeat" type of baby. The best picture I could get of him was while he was sleeping, because awake we was either crying for food, or eating. So here he is in his swing all snuggled up. Ah, the sleep of the innocent.
Call me a bad mom, but for some reason giving Karsen his first bath did not even cross my mind. Another YIKES! Bruce and I tackled the challenge of the first bath at home on Monday, June 9. Yes I get it...over a week from his bath in the hospital, but again...didnt cross my mind. Ugh. Karsen did GREAT in the water! I am hopeful this means he is a water loving baby and will enjoy some pool time when he is old enough. Here is K in the little infant tub. Bruce and I have told ourselves that we will make sure to schedule a bath multiple times a week so we dont "forget" and let such a long length of time go between cleanings.
Like I said, this first week and a half has been tough but so rewarding. I have leaned very hard on some friends who have recently had newborns of their own. Brittany with her 8 month old, Skylar; Laura with her 5 month old, Declan; and Lauren with her 2 month old, Henry. These three ladies will never know how much they have helped me already. I have felt like a terrible mom more times than I can count because I just want the best for this little guy, but they have helped reassure me that I am doing great.
Karsen is such a great baby and we are so blessed. Here is one last picture...Karsen at his finest...doing what he loves to do best...yawning! Those cheeks!
MB
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
He's here...HE'S HERE!!!! The birth story
After 40 long weeks...Karsen Bruce Summers made his debut into the world on Thursday, May 29th at 8:17 in the evening. He tipped the scales at 8 pounds, 5 ounces and was 20.5 inches long! He is so perfect in every way! We are so in love with the little guy!!
The birth story with this little nugget is quite the extravagant production. I had always hoped I would be one of THOSE moms whose water broke, and the baby would make their entrance a MAX of 10 hours later. HA! Such a naive, silly person I am! Muahahahaha! Let's go ahead and get started!
I had my 40 week appointment on Wednesday, May 28th, Karsen's due date. At the appointment, my doctor was not all the pleased with my dilation ( I was still at 1cm) but my cervix had continued to soften. She also felt around on my belly and said, "Wow! I think you are going to have a big boy here! I bet he is at least 8 pounds, so by next week, he will be up to 9 pounds. When a baby gets that large, it usually ends in a C Section. With that said, lets schedule a sonogram to get a good idea of his weight. We will also go ahead and schedule an induction for Tuesday evening." Wow...I figured I would just have spontaneous labor and everything would proceed as naturally as the next person...but now all the sudden I'm hearing words like "induction" and "C section." Yikes! That had me a little concerned but oh well. Bruce and I left the appointment with a sonogram scheduled for Monday (June 2), and induction scheduled to begin Tuesday (June 3).
That night, I did a little more nesting, and Bruce headed off to his indoor soccer game like normal. I was slightly annoyed still from the doctors appointment earlier, so I decided to bust out the exercise ball and do a little bouncing while I worked on one of the sewing projects. I started bouncing around 9p and had given up by 9:15p. I could feel some mild cramping but that was it. No biggie...just thought I would try to help things along. And then....
MY WATER BROKE!!!
Such a weird feeling! I had to bust out the old school pads. I have heard to watch ruptured waters. If you fill a pad within an hour, you should call the doctor. Well, I filled about 4 pads in 5 minutes. Awkward! BUT, I didn't call the doc because I wasn't feeling any contractions. I guess it depends who you ask but I thought ruptured waters meant contractions would start right away. Heck I didnt know?! Im going to change to a list to make this story a little easier...
9p-915p: Bounced on exercise ball
945p: Water broke but no contractions.
1030p: Mild contractions started and were about 15 minutes apart. I tried to lay down and get some sleep but that sure didnt help. I headed to the living room and sat and watched some tv.
130a: About this time, I started timing contractions. They were about 10 minutes apart. Since I noticed this pattern, I laid down and tried to nap between them.
600a: I called the OBGYN on-call doctor to see if I should go to the hospital. With my waters breaking and the contractions, I figured it might be time. Sure enough, she told me to get to the hospital. I headed to wake up Bruce around 615a and told him "Um...I think it's time to go to the hospital." He says, "Alriiiiiight!!!!" There was a lot of excitement in his voice!
730a: I showered at home real quick and we headed to the hospital. I was checked into triage by 730a. The nurses there checked me and said my water definitely broke, and I was actually having contractions about 4 minutes apart. Clearly I was only feeling the really strong ones. We then walked to our labor and delivery room! It is go time!
830a: In the labor and delivery room, Bruce and I got comfortable and sent out some texts to family members letting them know the situation. I continued to try and relax through contractions. Bruce and I took a few laps around the L&D floor to see if we can get things moving. The nurse with me would check my cervix every few hours. At 830a I was 3cm and 90% effaced. A few hours later, 4cm, still 90%. A few more hours, 5cm, still 90%. Ugh...this was taking forever and the contractions were getting much stronger.
100p: By this point, I had been feeling contraction for over 12 hours, and they were getting more intense each time. At the rate I was progressing (or not progressing...) I knew it might be quite a while longer so I broke down and got an epidural. To be honest, it wasn't as great as I had hoped. The anesthesiologist came in and got things going. I was told I wouldnt be able to feeling anything after about 20 minutes...well my right side was good...the left was where I could still feel activity. So I laid on my left side and I guess the meds headed that way, because then I was finally comfortable. By 3p, I could feel activity again. Um excuse me! Wasnt it supposed to take effect and stay that way?! Ugh!
300p: I could feel the contractions very heavy on my right side, but my left was ok, so I rolled over to my right in hopes the gravity effect would work again...no luck. Why isn't this working?! I kept pushing the button thingy to keep sending meds to my back, but no pain improvement. UGH!
400p: The nurse came in again to check my cervix and I was FINALLY 100% effaced and at 9cm (I think). Either way, she said I can start pushing to help move Baby K down the birth canal. She wanted to call my doctor, to let her know the plans, then she would be back to get me to start pushing.
445p: The nurse came back in and it was time to finally start pushing. I've heard all of these great stories about how people only pushed 2 or 3 times and then their baby was there...oh great! So I am hoping that happens with me too! I worked to push during the contractions (since I could feel EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.) and pushed and pushed. I kept looking at the nurse's face to see how I was progressing. Were things happening like they should?! What is going on down there?! She said she could see his head, but he wasn't moving through the pelvic bone. DANG IT! I tried 3 different pushing positions and still nothing was working.
645p: By this time, I am exhausted. FREAKING TIRED! I didnt get any sleep the night before, and the day was full of different types of pains and aches. And now, I've been pushing for 2 solid hours and still...nothing. Some contractions I decided to just breathe through, so I could give myself a break from pushing. Frustration was setting in HARD CORE. I just want to meet my baby! I continued to push off and on and then the nurse told me the on-call doc from my OB office was going to come in to check me and see how things are going.
650p: Dr. Martin came in, checked what was going on "down below" and started talking to a midwife (also on-call at my OB office) to have her check as well. He also asked the nurse to check out the situation. All I could think was "What the heck are they all talking about?! And why doesn't the doc know for sure? He is having the other two check something out too? That cant be good." Finally, after all 3 got in there and discussed, they all agreed that the opening to my pelvic bone was not wide enough for the baby to pass through. WHAT. THE. FU...NDUS?! (a little uterus humor...haha) Not wide enough?! How did we not know this before all of this B.S. from today?! Basically the doctor told me that my pelvic opening was more oval shaped, where it really needed to be a circle. Dr. Martin said, "There is no way for the baby's head to conform and change enough to get through the opening. I am sorry to say, we need to head down the hall for a C section." Talk about TEARS! I wanted to avoid a C Section like the freakin plague. Man I was UPSET. I wanted to meet this baby boy SO BAD and this was just ANOTHER road block. Fine. Whatever. Just get it done and over with!
715p: By this time, I was in the operating room and the Anesthesiologist was administering meds through my epidural catheter...bad thing is, the meds weren't working. I was supposed to be completely numb from my ribs, down. Well, after 15 minutes of his first administration of meds, I could still move my legs, toes...and even felt the sharp pains of the "prick test." Clearly something wasnt right. They made the quick decision to put me under general anesthesia. Last thing I remember was answering some questions about my name and age.
817p: He was BORN!!!
845p: This part I don't remember the best, but I was rolled out to the recovery room where Bruce and Karsen were hanging out. I was still fairly out of it but I do remember seeing them sitting there. I also remember the tremendous amount of pain I could feel in my lower abdomen. By 9p, Im fairly certain I was acting like a raging B, because I wanted pain meds and I wanted them NOW! After all the other CRAP throughout the day, seriously...can I be without pain for like an hour...PUH-LEASE! While in the recovery room, the nurse (who had been with me ALL day and stayed after her "release time" to see me through to the end...ROCK STAR!!) had told me that at some point earlier in the day the epidural catheter had slipped out of spinal column so any meds being pumped into me...were not being felt. "That's neat" was about all I could think...
From this point on, we were moved up the Mother/Baby floor of the hospital and spent the next 3 days there. We had GREAT nurses and I appreciated all of their help throughout the whole process. We are adjusting to life and learning every day from this little guy!
The birth story with this little nugget is quite the extravagant production. I had always hoped I would be one of THOSE moms whose water broke, and the baby would make their entrance a MAX of 10 hours later. HA! Such a naive, silly person I am! Muahahahaha! Let's go ahead and get started!
I had my 40 week appointment on Wednesday, May 28th, Karsen's due date. At the appointment, my doctor was not all the pleased with my dilation ( I was still at 1cm) but my cervix had continued to soften. She also felt around on my belly and said, "Wow! I think you are going to have a big boy here! I bet he is at least 8 pounds, so by next week, he will be up to 9 pounds. When a baby gets that large, it usually ends in a C Section. With that said, lets schedule a sonogram to get a good idea of his weight. We will also go ahead and schedule an induction for Tuesday evening." Wow...I figured I would just have spontaneous labor and everything would proceed as naturally as the next person...but now all the sudden I'm hearing words like "induction" and "C section." Yikes! That had me a little concerned but oh well. Bruce and I left the appointment with a sonogram scheduled for Monday (June 2), and induction scheduled to begin Tuesday (June 3).
That night, I did a little more nesting, and Bruce headed off to his indoor soccer game like normal. I was slightly annoyed still from the doctors appointment earlier, so I decided to bust out the exercise ball and do a little bouncing while I worked on one of the sewing projects. I started bouncing around 9p and had given up by 9:15p. I could feel some mild cramping but that was it. No biggie...just thought I would try to help things along. And then....
MY WATER BROKE!!!
Such a weird feeling! I had to bust out the old school pads. I have heard to watch ruptured waters. If you fill a pad within an hour, you should call the doctor. Well, I filled about 4 pads in 5 minutes. Awkward! BUT, I didn't call the doc because I wasn't feeling any contractions. I guess it depends who you ask but I thought ruptured waters meant contractions would start right away. Heck I didnt know?! Im going to change to a list to make this story a little easier...
9p-915p: Bounced on exercise ball
945p: Water broke but no contractions.
1030p: Mild contractions started and were about 15 minutes apart. I tried to lay down and get some sleep but that sure didnt help. I headed to the living room and sat and watched some tv.
130a: About this time, I started timing contractions. They were about 10 minutes apart. Since I noticed this pattern, I laid down and tried to nap between them.
600a: I called the OBGYN on-call doctor to see if I should go to the hospital. With my waters breaking and the contractions, I figured it might be time. Sure enough, she told me to get to the hospital. I headed to wake up Bruce around 615a and told him "Um...I think it's time to go to the hospital." He says, "Alriiiiiight!!!!" There was a lot of excitement in his voice!
730a: I showered at home real quick and we headed to the hospital. I was checked into triage by 730a. The nurses there checked me and said my water definitely broke, and I was actually having contractions about 4 minutes apart. Clearly I was only feeling the really strong ones. We then walked to our labor and delivery room! It is go time!
830a: In the labor and delivery room, Bruce and I got comfortable and sent out some texts to family members letting them know the situation. I continued to try and relax through contractions. Bruce and I took a few laps around the L&D floor to see if we can get things moving. The nurse with me would check my cervix every few hours. At 830a I was 3cm and 90% effaced. A few hours later, 4cm, still 90%. A few more hours, 5cm, still 90%. Ugh...this was taking forever and the contractions were getting much stronger.
100p: By this point, I had been feeling contraction for over 12 hours, and they were getting more intense each time. At the rate I was progressing (or not progressing...) I knew it might be quite a while longer so I broke down and got an epidural. To be honest, it wasn't as great as I had hoped. The anesthesiologist came in and got things going. I was told I wouldnt be able to feeling anything after about 20 minutes...well my right side was good...the left was where I could still feel activity. So I laid on my left side and I guess the meds headed that way, because then I was finally comfortable. By 3p, I could feel activity again. Um excuse me! Wasnt it supposed to take effect and stay that way?! Ugh!
300p: I could feel the contractions very heavy on my right side, but my left was ok, so I rolled over to my right in hopes the gravity effect would work again...no luck. Why isn't this working?! I kept pushing the button thingy to keep sending meds to my back, but no pain improvement. UGH!
400p: The nurse came in again to check my cervix and I was FINALLY 100% effaced and at 9cm (I think). Either way, she said I can start pushing to help move Baby K down the birth canal. She wanted to call my doctor, to let her know the plans, then she would be back to get me to start pushing.
445p: The nurse came back in and it was time to finally start pushing. I've heard all of these great stories about how people only pushed 2 or 3 times and then their baby was there...oh great! So I am hoping that happens with me too! I worked to push during the contractions (since I could feel EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.) and pushed and pushed. I kept looking at the nurse's face to see how I was progressing. Were things happening like they should?! What is going on down there?! She said she could see his head, but he wasn't moving through the pelvic bone. DANG IT! I tried 3 different pushing positions and still nothing was working.
645p: By this time, I am exhausted. FREAKING TIRED! I didnt get any sleep the night before, and the day was full of different types of pains and aches. And now, I've been pushing for 2 solid hours and still...nothing. Some contractions I decided to just breathe through, so I could give myself a break from pushing. Frustration was setting in HARD CORE. I just want to meet my baby! I continued to push off and on and then the nurse told me the on-call doc from my OB office was going to come in to check me and see how things are going.
650p: Dr. Martin came in, checked what was going on "down below" and started talking to a midwife (also on-call at my OB office) to have her check as well. He also asked the nurse to check out the situation. All I could think was "What the heck are they all talking about?! And why doesn't the doc know for sure? He is having the other two check something out too? That cant be good." Finally, after all 3 got in there and discussed, they all agreed that the opening to my pelvic bone was not wide enough for the baby to pass through. WHAT. THE. FU...NDUS?! (a little uterus humor...haha) Not wide enough?! How did we not know this before all of this B.S. from today?! Basically the doctor told me that my pelvic opening was more oval shaped, where it really needed to be a circle. Dr. Martin said, "There is no way for the baby's head to conform and change enough to get through the opening. I am sorry to say, we need to head down the hall for a C section." Talk about TEARS! I wanted to avoid a C Section like the freakin plague. Man I was UPSET. I wanted to meet this baby boy SO BAD and this was just ANOTHER road block. Fine. Whatever. Just get it done and over with!
715p: By this time, I was in the operating room and the Anesthesiologist was administering meds through my epidural catheter...bad thing is, the meds weren't working. I was supposed to be completely numb from my ribs, down. Well, after 15 minutes of his first administration of meds, I could still move my legs, toes...and even felt the sharp pains of the "prick test." Clearly something wasnt right. They made the quick decision to put me under general anesthesia. Last thing I remember was answering some questions about my name and age.
817p: He was BORN!!!
845p: This part I don't remember the best, but I was rolled out to the recovery room where Bruce and Karsen were hanging out. I was still fairly out of it but I do remember seeing them sitting there. I also remember the tremendous amount of pain I could feel in my lower abdomen. By 9p, Im fairly certain I was acting like a raging B, because I wanted pain meds and I wanted them NOW! After all the other CRAP throughout the day, seriously...can I be without pain for like an hour...PUH-LEASE! While in the recovery room, the nurse (who had been with me ALL day and stayed after her "release time" to see me through to the end...ROCK STAR!!) had told me that at some point earlier in the day the epidural catheter had slipped out of spinal column so any meds being pumped into me...were not being felt. "That's neat" was about all I could think...
From this point on, we were moved up the Mother/Baby floor of the hospital and spent the next 3 days there. We had GREAT nurses and I appreciated all of their help throughout the whole process. We are adjusting to life and learning every day from this little guy!
AH! LOVE!!
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