6 week appointment

Eli had his 6 week well-child visit today! It went really well! He is now in the 90th percentile for both weight and height!!!! His head circumference is in the 50th percentile. Everything looks right on track and he is a healthy baby boy! Here are his stats:

After Birth
Wt. -- 8lbs
Ht. -- 21 inches

3 Days Old
Wt. -- 7lbs 5 oz
Ht. -- 21 inches

2 Weeks
Wt. -- 8lb 11oz
Ht. -- 21 inches

6 Weeks
Wt. -- 11lb 7.5 oz!!!!!!
Ht. -- 23 1/4 inches


We also talked about Eli's development and he is right on track -- even ahead in some areas! Here are his major milestones so far:

 Week One 
- Smiles and laughs in sleep
- Lifts head up when you hold him against your chest
- Lifts head up when laying on tummy

Week Two
- Started eating breast milk from a bottle
- Sleeps from 1:00am - 6:00am and then from 7:30am - 12:00 pm
- Sleeps pretty much all day, wakes only to eat and cuddle
- Fusses only when hungry

Week Three
- Lifts up head when laying on tummy and moves head from side to side
- Sleeps 5-6 hours on average
- Slept from 2:00 - 9:00!!!!!
- Cord stump fell out (21 days)

Week Four
- Smiled and cooed at mommy!!!!
- Makes a lot more eye contact
- Good head control, lifts up and looks around

Week Five
- Smiles at mommy, daddy, nonna, pops, and Uncle Sean
- Pushes up on forearms to look around when laying on tummy
- Took a pacifier for the first time
- Sleeps 6-7 hours at night (usually goes to bed at 11:30)
- Hardly ever cries

Eli is six weeks as of yesterday and today he ALMOST rolled over for the first time from his tummy to his back!! He was getting so frustrated! He would make it onto his side, but couldn't quite make it all the way onto his back!

He also giggled for the first time (while awake). He was in such a good mood today -- nothing but smiles and cuddles for mommy!

We were offered the chance to give Eli 5 VACCINES today at the check-up! I decided to delay them for now. I know they have done research and there are "no detrimental effects" on the baby, but that just seems like a LOT of vaccines and really early! I think I am going to research them a bit more and try to make a revised schedule for him (delayed and more spaced out). I know this is a really controversial topic, but as the doctor said "I'm the mom, so I'm the boss". I heard Dr. Sears has a great book with lots of info on vaccines, so I might need to check that out!

Another reason that I decided to delay the vaccines is because tomorrow we are headed up to Tennessee. We are going up to visit Daniel's family -- Pap, Gram, Aunt Le Le, Aunt La La, Uncle Trysten (who will not be responsible for any diaper changes - haha!), and cousins Reese and Owen! We are looking forward to the visit and dressing Eli up for Halloween!! I guess you'll have to check back here to see pictures of his costume :)

Eli's Birth Story

This is Eli's birth story. I wrote it a few days after he was born. What better place to start then to tell about our son's arrival into this world!

Eli Grey White
8 lbs 21 in
September 15th 2010

I was scheduled for an induction at 39 weeks due to PIH.

On Tuesday night, September 14th, I went in for a regular OB appointment and then straight to Labor and Delivery after my appointment as planned. Daniel was with me the whole time.

At my appointment, I was told that I was still only a fingertip dilated. My OB just smiled at me and said "We have ways around that!". I felt confident that this induction was going to be a smooth ride.
When I got to Labor and Delivery I waited for my OB. She came in at around 6:30 pm and inserted a Cook Catheter into my cervix. This catheter was supposed to rest on my cervix, acting like the baby's head, causing my cervix to dilate. She told me that either the balloon of the catheter would fall out on its own or she would have to remove it in the morning. If it fell out on its own that meant it worked and my cervix was probably at either 3 or 4 centimeters. If it didn't fall out on its own that meant I wasn't responding. At around midnight I got up to use the bathroom and the bulb fell out!!!!! I was so excited and became even more confident that my body was going to respond well to the induction.

At around 3:30 in the morning I woke up to use the restroom and noticed that some fluid was leaking out. It was pinkish-red, so I thought it was just discharge or blood from the catheter placement. I didn't think twice about it. When my nurse came in at 5:30 in the morning I told her about the leaking. She decided to check me to see if it was my water -- it was!

My doctor showed up at 7:30 to break my water. When I told her it broke on its own she was very pleased, but she said since it was a small leak she would help it along. She broke my water even more and then I was started on pitocin.

The contractions started out pretty light and I think I was distracted by my excitement. I progressed pretty quickly from 3cm to about 5 cm. At 5 cm, my contractions were getting really painful. I finally asked my nurse for an Epidural because they were so painful and it was affecting my blood pressure. I felt almost ashamed for asking for one, like I should have been stronger. I told my nurse that I had a low pain tolerance and that I knew I would end up with an Epi. My nurse laughed at me for saying that I had a low pain tolerance and she told me that my contractions were off the charts! That made me feel somewhat better.

I got my Epi a while later. It took two sticks to get it right. I was really anxious about the placement so I jumped a lot during the first attempt. I had to calm myself down and will myself not to move the second time. It definitely paid off! After the Epi went in I felt NOTHING. It kicked in about ten minutes later and it was wonderful!! I couldn't feel pain or pressure. It really helped me to relax. I was even laughing and talking like normal with Daniel and my family. The nurse was especially amazed that I couldn't feel anything during my most intense contractions. I just smiled!

After the Epi went in I progressed to 6 cm and my cervix was 100% (very thin and ready for the baby). The baby was at 0 station and was ready to come as well. All that was left was 4 more cm. I thought it was going to fly by....
Unfortunately I stopped progressing. I remained at 6 cm for about four hours. My OB informed me that they like to see about .5-1cm dilation/hour.

At this point my OB told me that a c-section was probably inevitable. She told me that she didn't think I would progress any further and that I was stalled at 6. She told me that I needed to make a decision. I could wait longer to see what my body did or I could go back for the surgery. When she left I cried to Daniel. I was terrified of having a c-section. I was terrified of surgery, terrified of complications, terrified that something would go wrong. I honestly didn't know what to do.
I called my parents back into the room and told them about the decision that I needed to make and I cried some more. They tried their best to reassure me, but unfortunately I was so inside of my own head. I couldn't be reassured. We prayed about the decision and about what was going to happen. I prayed that I would make the right choice and that everything would turn out okay.

The nurse, who was in the room, came over to talk to me. She asked me about my concerns, then helped me see the reality of the situation. This is exactly what I needed. With the way that my mind works, I need to know the facts. I need to know EVERYTHING. Being told "You'll be fine." was not going to do it.

I made the decision to have the c-section for one reason. Eli. I didn't want my fear to cause HIM any harm. The OB told me that since my cervix was 100% effaced and the baby was so low, he was starting to come down the birth canal but wasn't fitting. The skin around his head was coming through, but since I wasn't dilating the bones of his skull would not fit. This caused "molding" (the reason he had a conehead when he was born). If this continued for long enough he could have ended up with fluid around his brain.

It had only been about 30 minutes from the time I made my decision to the time that I was wheeled into the OR. When we got to the OR, I started to panic. I couldn't believe that I was actually going to be cut into. Then Daniel came in. He took my hand and talked to me the whole time. I tried not to pay any attention to what was going on (but that was kind of impossible). The anesthesiologist laughed at me because I kept checking my blood pressure, oxygen levels, and heart rate on the monitor. He told me that I wasn't allowed to look anymore and told me that they were almost done.

Finally, I felt some intense pressure on my chest. They were pulling him out. I was watching Daniel the whole time. I told him to tell me EVERYTHING when he came out -- his hair color, his eye color, how big he was, if he was STILL a boy!

They pulled him out and I didn't hear anything. I started to get anxious. I kept asking, "Why isn't he crying!??! Isn't that bad?" It turns out that he was soaking everything in. As soon as he was born he opened his eyes and was just looking around. He finally made some noise after what seemed like forever. I started to cry right then and there. Daniel kissed me and said, "We have a baby!" I was so happy.
After Eli came out, I became very lightheaded and woozy. I had to keep my eyes closed because I didn't want to pass out and miss anything. I had the nurse tell me everything that was going on.

They finally brought him over to me and I got to kiss my precious boy! He was the most perfect and beautiful thing that I had ever seen. I couldn't stop crying OR smiling. I experienced the BEST feeling in the world -- becoming a mommy. Daniel asked me, "So... is this Eli?!" I looked at my son one more time and it was for sure, this was Eli. This is who we had been waiting for and who we had so much love for already.

Eli is the perfect baby! Besides for his good looks (which he obviously inherited from me, haha), his temperament and his personality are so sweet. He has such a gentle spirit. He takes in everything around him. He is constantly looking around and contemplating the world (at least I think so). When he is awake he is either snuggling, eating, or looking around. So far he has only cried when he was cold in the hospital and when he is hungry. When he cries he doesn't even scream or demand attention, he simply cries out to us and then stops when we fulfill his needs.

I am completely and utterly in love. My heart could not be more full. God had blessed us.

I still can NOT believe Eli is already 6 weeks TODAY!

Where to begin?!

Daniel, Eli and I went home to my parents house this weekend! It was so much fun! I love seeing my mom and dad as grandparents -- Nonna and Pops! We spent most of the time just sitting around talking and of course looking at/holding/cuddling little Eli! On Saturday we went through baby books; mine, Sean's, and Kaysi's. I think we finally figured out who Eli looks like!

4 weeks

5 weeks

These are pictures of pictures from MY baby book!

Sean and Me!

It's fun to see some of MY characteristics in Eli! Now we know why he is SO cute! Haha!

While we were looking through the baby books I thought it was so neat how my mom wrote down all of my major milestones and kept track of my growth. I decided that I want to do that for Eli! Unfortunately I am not the best scrapbooker. I also realized that nowadays you hardly ever print off pictures anyway, they're all just on the computer! So why not do a baby blog!! Brilliant, I know!

Too bad I thought of this 5 and 1/2 weeks after Eli was born! I guess the next post will have to be a quick recap on everything that's been going on so far! I can't believe my baby boy is almost 6 weeks old! Time flies!