Nursing

So we have been adjusting to the new baby and big sister for 2 weeks now. We can only go one day at a time. Jeanne is doing good, wanting to help a little more than she needs to. We have to remind we daily about certain things she can't do. But overall, I think she is doing good with him.

For the last week, Hunter has had the fussy period each evening from ~5-10, varying each night. He is hard to calm, wanting to nurse constantly, and is hard to get to sleep. Last night, he nursed every hour-hour and a half. He would then act like I was out of milk (though it was not), and pull off getting mad. I was at the point of having Shawn fix a bottle of formula when he finally fell asleep. He won't even take a pacifier. I was at my wits end. I was certain we would be switching to formula full time today. 

I had a list of reasons to switch, including the fact that he cracked my nipple already, he fights one breast and prefers the other, I am tired of being the only one to feed him, and I hate the pump. 

But of course, my reasons to continue nursing outweigh those negative reasons. I know that nursing is the best option for us, so I will work through the rough patches. Having my husband by my side encouraging me is very helpful.

Hunter's Birth Story

We are so very excited to announce the birth of our son Hunter James. Here is how he came into the world (fair warning, TMI for some).

Hunter was due on Monday, Septemer 30. I had an OB checkup October 3rd. I wasn't dilated more than 2 cm. We planned a non-stress test for the following Monday, and said if he wasn't here by then, we would set a date for induction (we weren't going past 42 weeks of course). By this point I tried all the wives tails to naturally induce labor (pineapple, spicy food, intimacy with husband, stimulation, etc) and nothing worked.

On Friday, October 4 evening, the mucous passed. My husband and I tried once more to see if we could get things going. The next morning, I woke up with a contraction at 6:24 AM, went to the bathroom and saw the "show." I called my mom and she was on her way up.

By 7:30, the contractions were 30 minutes apart. They stayed that way for about 2 hours. Then they moved to about 20 minutes apart. They were this way about 2 hours. At 11:40, they were hitting 12-15 minutes and were getting stronger. By 1:30 they were 7 minutes apart. When my doula arrived at 2:15, they had been 3-4 minutes apart. She checked and I was 5 cm. Off to the hospital we went!!

At 2:50, the nurse at the hospital checked and I was 7 cm. Time was flying! I got into the labor tub for about 30 minutes and could feel a lot of pressure with the contractions. With that next check,  I was 9.5 cm and got ready for pushing. I was able to push in several positions, and worked hard at that for a little over an hour. At 5:15 PM, Dr. Jones broke my water and Hunter was born at 5:25 PM. As we learned in the class, at the end I felt like nothing I was doing was good and I just kept asking for them to take him out, that I couldn't do it anymore. My husband, who was a wonderful support this whole time, and my doula Amy, as well as the nurses and Dr. Jones kept telling me I was almost done and I was doing great. I did manage to make it through unmedicated. I think I succeeded because my labor went so quickly; I didn't have a choice at the end because it was too late!

Here is our boy Hunter, weighing 8lbs 12 oz!! Our little family is overjoyed! Thank you so much Cora for this class. Without it, I wouldn't have made it through labor as easily. I remembered all the relaxation techniques. I did have a focal point when I started pushing, but I lost it as I allowed the pain to take over. That may be why I got scared at the end. Doesn't matter because he is here!