kaedmon…or a food pantry…you decide!

Kaed’s 2 eldest brothers thought he looked hungry yesterday. I mean, we had just finished lunch- so why shouldn’t he? The following took place:

Too cute!

And a quick pic with Mommy:

tummy time=no fun!

This is hard work!

NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!

Is it over yet?

All done…and ready for bed!

Kaedmon at 2 weeks (and the park…)

Kaed’s first bath:

Sleeping (and wishing to be left alone):

Again:

At the park:

4 brothers:

Noah loves soccer:

Sammy loves to go “so high!”

Kaed at 5 days

It’s so hard to get a good newborn photo. It’s not like you can say: “Kaedmon- say cheese!” But these are okay. And I’ve tried to capture him at a few different angles for anyone wanting to make a guess on who he looks like. And he’s really not as yellow as he looks in that last photo. I think it’s the lighting in our bedroom.

everyone has an opinion

What is it with everyone having an opinion about when you take your baby out for the first time? Want an example? Cue mean Walmart lady. I had to take Kaed back to Mayfield for a bilirubin repeat and I also needed diapers. I decided to stop off at Walmart on the way home as to save someone else from having to do it.

As a side note, I know it is not ideal and it is even frowned upon for a post partum woman to drive or, even worse, drive alone, but our scenario is not ideal. David has to work… a lot…and David’s mom stayed back at home with the kids- God bless her.

Back to the story. Little did I know what I was in for at the checkout:

Mean Walmart Lady (MWL): “How old is your baby?”

Me: “2 days.”

MWL: “How long were you in the hospital?”

Me: “A little less than 24 hours.”

Mean Walmart lady then muttered something about it needing to be standard for all women and babies to be in a hospital for a minimum of 48 hours to be monitored.

Me: “My baby and I were both well monitored and we weren’t released until it was safe.”

I want to say that at that point I didn’t mutter my own comment about how childbirth is over complicated these days, but I did. I was highly hormonal and very tired. Safe to say, I know it wasn’t ideal that I was out by myself at that point, but she was concerned about the baby, not me.

In conclusion, unless something changes, I am going to church tomorrow. I am sure I’ll hear about that as well.

just had to add…

what Kacie had to say about chatting with David during labor:

“My favorite comment from David about labor: “She’s in transition, waiting for the contractions to start.” And then, not even 2 minutes afterward, “Wait, no, she’s negotiating and getting ready to push.” Huh?!? Nice try David. I did appreciate the “updates” though!”

the arrival of Kaedmon

Kaedmon was born January 8, Elvis’ birthday, at 2:35 p.m., weighing 7 lbs. 15 oz. He was 19 3/4 inches long. He was born at the end of my 38th week of pregnancy.

On Wednesday evening I began having some contractions at church. They weren’t anything remarkable but they were there and fairly noticeable. After Bible study,  I went to pick up the boys from AWANA. Before we left the church, I had a “moment” with Sammy and he bolted down a hallway- out of my sight. For fear of losing him, I chased him (quickly) down the hallway. The rest of the night I suffered for it. I tossed and turned all night. I had a few contractions in the night but mostly I was miserable in my lower abdomen and thought I might have pulled a muscle.

On Thursday morning I woke up nearly unable to walk. I waddled around the first part of the morning when David and I ultimately made the decision that I should call my midwife. I called and told them what was going on and they told me to immediately come in. “Yes, it could be a muscle”, the receptionist told me, “but it could also be the baby.” I was also group B strep positive and, being 30 minutes from the hospital, it was something to be mindful of.

I got in at 9:30 and she was in to check me around 10. I told her what had happened and she said that she was pretty sure I had pulled a muscle, but we would make sure. When she checked me, however, I was 75% effaced, almost 5 cm, and the baby’s head was in a zero position. Her response: “You just won yourself a trip to the birthing center. I’m pretty sure you’re in labor. We’ll break your water and you’ll have a baby around dinner.” She was so calm and matter-of-fact about it- and I wasn’t. I walked out, went to my car, and cried. I did not feel mentally ready. I waited about 15 minutes, called Kacie and my doula (and David- duh!), and headed into the birthing center.

Nancy arrived first, then David, then my midwife. At noon, she broke my water. I was petrified. I was already having contractions, but after breaking my water, they changed. They were bearable, but much more intense. Once they came on, they began close and stayed close. They didn’t last long, however. I spent the entire labor either over a birthing ball or on a birthing ball (my favorite). I was surprised by how I breathed through contractions. I hadn’t been taught how but my body naturally did it. Nancy was wonderful. She said and did all the right things. Hers was the only voice that didn’t annoy me to some degree.

About an hour passed, quickly, and my I knew something had changed because my hands became numb and started trembling. I still maintained control over my body, however, and that made all the difference in the world. It would have been so easy to lose control during that time. At one point I told my midwife that I thought I needed to push. She got me in the bed, checked me, and said I was 9 and a half cm dilated. She asked me to push, however, to see if the head would descend. I don’t think it did. She then asked me if it felt better to push. I said “no”- and she said “then don’t.” For some reason, this really discouraged me. I didn’t know how much more I could handle and I was wanting to lose it. I maintained again, however, but by a thread. About 5 minutes later, I swore I had to push. I basically leapt into the bed, without being told to, and found what worked for me. They worked well with what I wanted and that was great.

The next 5 to 10 minutes or so are a blur. I was told that pushing would make me feel better- and it so did not! I cannot even go into vast detail about what it was like to deliver a baby in this way- even if I tried. It has to be experienced. I never thought it would be over and yet David told me that the actual pushing the baby out took about 2 to 3 minutes. Up until this point, I was quiet. I quickly became a screamer. I later apologized, but my midwife told me that the only sounds I made were the sounds that it takes to push a baby out. After my brief trip to a darker place (LOL) I returned to be told to reach down and grab my son. Kaedmon was here! I just remember thinking “he looks different…” and then wanting to hand him back to the nurses. I was hurting- and I needed a moment to regather myself. About 3 minutes later, I laid back on the bed and held my son- for probably about an hour or two! I was very impressed with how they handled post partum care- of me and baby. I thought it was interesting that they didn’t weigh him until he was about 2 hours old.

Last night was rough. The baby was fine. I was very uncomfortable, however, and nothing seemed to help my discomfort. Kaedmon had his “procedure” (poor boy) this morning and, after he had been monitored, we were free to go home. He has a bili check and his PKU tomorrow and I had to receive an MMR and TDaP vaccine today as my rubella immunity was low and  the CDC is now wanting post partum moms to get protected from pertussis, as it is on the rise again.

We are doing okay. Just your normal newborn stuff. I am already really missing sleep and feeling sorry for myself to some degree. I am trying to remind myself, however, that this time is short-lived and I always forget it. I wish I could say that Kaedmon is eating well, but he’s not. I wish I could say he’s sleeping well, but he’s not. But these things have their way of working themselves out. It just takes time. And I have to remind myself of that.

I am so happy that his delivery went as well as I had hoped- and then some. I wish I could fully explain the night and day difference between what I had experienced in my previous deliveries versus this one. It was so worth it and, might I add, I think my husband is a bigger fan of natural childbirth now than I am. He just kept saying “you were so…calm…not like what you see on TV.” It is funny to hear him talk about it. Ask Kacie. He’s quite the expert. Or at least he tries.

Kaedmon’s brothers love him- and that is an understatement.

Thank you for all your prayers. They were truly felt and I am so grateful! I am so glad our fourth son is here with us. We are such a blessed family!

1/8/09

A few photos, birth story to come soon:

My focal point:

In between contractions:

I will get through this=):

The next 1/2 hour or so does not include photos as you don’t want to see them…trust me!

Kaedmon, about 5 minutes old:

Hanging out with Mama:

With Mommy and Daddy:

Noah meeting his brother:

Brothers:

The little man:

our new son

Never in a million years did I think I would make this announcement today, but it is our pleasure to introduce our newest son, Kaedmon Gatliff King, to each of you. He entered the world as feisty as his big brother Sammy at 2:35 p.m., weighing 7 lbs. 15 oz and with a length of 19 3/4 inches. He is by far our shortest baby!!! He is getting his first bath as we speak and his brothers are on their way to visit. They spent the afternoon making cupcakes for their little brother to celebrate his birthday. I can’t wait to introduce them. 

More to come…

38 week appointment

It’s going to take some effort to come up with some content for this entry as the bulk of our discussion today was:

• My midwive’s daughter’s engagement over the weekend
• What cloth diapers should be made of
• Can you spoil a baby?
• The family bed
• To wear a hospital gown vs. wearing my own nightgown (LOL). Very thought-provoking!

Some quick thoughts:

• I suppose my BP and the baby’s measurement was fine as we never discussed them.
• This little booger continually flips from facing front to facing back. He is sure to have me guessing right up til the end.
• Though it was tempting to ask to be checked again, which she wouldn’t do anyway, I have made peace with it by remembering:

1. When you aren’t checked, there isn’t pressure placed on me by well-intentioned family and friends who say “Oh! I bet it’s just going to be any day now!” or “I bet you’ll go tonight!”
2. I don’t have to deal with the achiness and pain that comes from an exam- and still doesn’t put you into labor.
3. It’s kind of exciting to have no idea when it’s going to happen! Kinda makes me less anxious about it all.
4. I have found comfort in reminding myself that the end is undoubtedly near. Noah was born 12 days from where I am at this point, Sammy was born 9 days before where I am today, and Simon would be born 5 days from today. Yes, Noah and Simon were elective inductions, but I at least know the end is in sight.

Anyway, I am coming into this week with a better attitude- as long as I am not in pain=) Right now:

• my bag is so well-packed
• all my cloth diapers have been washed
• David’s Mom bought us a bouncy seat (a life saver with Simon that we lost in New Mexico)
• I am mentally prepared.

Tomorrow I will:

• look for my bathing suit (for the birthing tub). I have been putting that off because the garage is so cold. I believe God has allowed me this extra time to find it, however, because I will wish I had had it, come labor.
• bring in the boppy, the play mat, the bassinet, the car seat (which we recently bought and is AWESOME!), and the diaper changing pad
• cook 4 to 5 meals freezer meals to have handy.

That’s all for now!