Thursday, February 17, 2011

Oliver's First Month and Birth Story

     Our little Oliver has already grown so much in the five and a half weeks since his birth. At his one-month checkup, he weighed 9lbs. 8oz., and was 21.5 inches long! He is still in some of the lower percentiles, but he looks huge to us. I'm sad that he's not so tiny anymore, but it is so fun and amazing to see him grow. He has been having a little bit of a problem with vomiting, but the doctor thinks it's just a sensitive tummy/relux thing that he will grow out of and isn't a big deal.

 Our friend Melinda designed this onesie for Oliver

     He has been sleeping well during the night, usually only getting up once in the middle of the night, and then in the morning when Joseph goes to work. A few times a week, though, he will actually sleep for up to 7 or 8 hours, which is great! Joseph has been back at work for a few weeks now, so during the day it's just Oliver and me. It's really nice to spend so much time alone with him.

A sweet moment with dad after a bath    

 Oliver gave us his first REAL smile last Saturday! And what a precious little smile it was! I haven't been able to get much from him since, but he definitely "talks" a whole lot more now. He can also hold his head up really well, and he loves to be propped up so he can look around.

Just being a total cutie after bathtime
    
With Aunt Krissi and cousin Maddox

     I can't believe how fast this is all happening. Now I definitely know what they mean when they say that they grow up too fast!


Oliver's Birth Story
     It was four days past my due date and I couldn't have been more frustrated that I hadn't gone into labor on my own. I was excited for my appointment with the OB that morning, because we had discussed the possibility of inducing my labor that day. But when I got there, I got discouraged. All my blood tests and vitals were normal, and it may sound crazy, but this totally disappointed me--my doctor had told me he'd induce me if anything didn't look normal. So, after getting poked and such by the nurse, I waited for the doctor to come in to tell me I'd have to wait another week to finally have this baby. I even started crying and whining to my mom (who'd come with me because Joseph was at work) about how I'd be pregnant forever. But when the doctor came in, he gave me the best news ever--that I had a check-in time of 3:00 at the hospital because I was going to be induced THAT AFTERNOON! I think I freaked the doctor out with how ecstatic I was. I thanked him about thirty times before we left.
     As we were driving away from the doctor's office, Joseph went on his lunch break and called me. He asked how it went, and I told him, in as sad of a voice as I could, that we had to wait another week before I'd get induced. I met up with him a few minutes later, and couldn't contain my smiles and tears as soon as I saw him! I told him I was sorry, but that I had lied...and that we were going to have a baby today!!!
     Joseph took the rest of the day off from work, and we went to Chili's with my family. I was so nervous the whole time. I couldn't believe that in just a few hours I was going to be a mother. We went home to finalize the hospital bag and clean up a bit, and then we headed to the hospital!
     When we finally settled into the room, some of the excitement wore off. We were finally at the hospital, but there was no baby...so all we could do was wait! My family came and brought us food. We played Phase Ten and ate junk food until I wasn't allowed to eat anymore. The nurse told us it would most likely be late the next morning that the baby would be born, and when my doctor came to see me, he predicted it'd be within four or five hours. So we didn't know what to expect, and that made the waiting even worse. 
     After being on Pitocin for a few hours with little progression in my labor, a new doctor, the one who would deliver Oliver, came in and told me they could either wait it out and see if the Pitocin would finally get me to 10cm., or she could break my water now and probably speed up labor. We decided we couldn't wait much longer, so she broke my water, and within seconds I was having VERY strong, painful contractions and begging for my epidural. After the anesthesiologist finally came, it was only about an hour later that we were ready to push.
     Because of how Oliver was positioned in my belly, they expected me to push for about three hours. But I was determined! After an hour and fifteen minutes of pushing as hard as I could, I had a tiny, warm person on my belly, screaming and grasping at my fingers. He was finally here! When they took him to be weighed and measured, dried off, and tested, I remember thinking, I'm a mom! I couldn't believe it.
     After the nurse gave him his very first bath and dressed and swaddled him, she gave him to me so I could breastfeed him. This was one of the most amazing moments of my life. I stroked his beautiful cheek and told him how much I love him. About two hours after he was born, the nurse wheeled us both to our Mom and Baby room, where our little family would spend the first of many sleepless, wonderful nights together.
Introducing Joseph Oliver Shull
Born January 8th, 2011
2:01 a.m.
7lbs., 9oz.