6 week doctor check up.

This doctor check up was mine this time...

I went in for my 6 week postpartum appointment. Looks like all is well. I have healed nicely. Since I went into labor before my doctor could get to the hospital, another doctor in her practice delivered Asher. Everything went so fast that evening, that I was left with some questions. I really didn't know why they used the vacuum extraction to delivery Ash. That was one of the questions I wanted an answer for.

Turns out Asher's heart rate dropped while I was pushing so they decided to use the vacuum rather than jump to a c section... especially since I was a VBAC. Asher was NOT in danger, but they didn't want his heart rate to drop any further. He was face up (occiput posterior) which was a little more challenging for a quick delivery. If he would have been face down, he probably would have come out a lot quicker, and they wouldn't have had to use the vacuum. Funny to say he would have come quicker when I had him within 4 hours of getting admitted! ha! They only allow 3 "pop offs" as well. That means that the vacuum pops off of the babies head while pushing. I was on my 3rd pop off and then they were going to look into the c section. I wasn't going to go through all of that to end in a c section! He came right in time! :)

Anyhow, I'm glad I asked the questions that were on my mind. I still believe a vaginal birth is the way to go if you can help it. I also encourage any woman that wants a VBAC to talk to their doctor to see if they are a candidate, and if they are... try!

I'm excited to start exercising! I am going to be entering two 5k's to support two of my closest friends. Looks like I better start picking up the running bug! I LOVE to spin... but, need to start running... any advice?

I will post blogs on the boys this week. Jake is 19 months now (April 1), and Asher is 6 weeks tomorrow!

Month of Thanks... week 1

I usually blog about why I'm thankful on a weekly basis... It's usually coupled with baby postings. I wanted to do something a little different this month mainly because we are approaching the Thanksgiving holiday. I want to blog once a week (day will be based on when I have time with a newborn in tow) to say thank you to those special people or things in my life.

Week 1.

I would like to express my thankfulness for my hubby. My husband has been very supportive of me and my needs throughout my pregnancy and postpartum journey. No matter how busy or tired he is he makes sure I get time out with the girls or that he takes Jake so I can sleep extra hours here and there. In September my husband threw me a surprise 30th birthday party, sent me out shopping, and helped with the baby while I recovered from my c-section. This continued into October with shopping sprees with my best friend, lunches, dinners, and an occasional happy hour with my sorority sisters. November just arrived and I already have a spa day/wine tasting set up, walks with my loves (hubs and baby on Saturday mornings), and sleep days already lined up!

I'm blogging to say thank you to my wonderful husband Grant. Thank you for all you do without me asking. I'm so very grateful to have you come home when you are tired from your busy work/travel schedule and do things that I need help with. I love being a SAHM (stay at home mom) and I especially love being Jake's mom and YOUR wife. You make me happy and I'm so thankful for you. I look forward to celebrating the holiday season with you and our family we are creating together.

I appreciate all you do and it doesn't go unnoticed.

Love your wife,
Brooke

More pics...

Here are a few more pictures from our photo session... I will post more pictures after we send out our Christmas cards. I can't believe this was already over a month ago. Jake looks so different... he's really filling out and getting so big!

My baby

Our family of 3

Cheers,
Brooke

Swaddle or Not to swaddle...

That is the question!

Jake is NOT a swaddler. I've officially tried them all.


The 2 EVERYONE swears by are Swaddle Me (by Kiddopotamus), and The Miracle Blanket. I have several of both... He doesn't like to be confined.

(Swaddle Me - with the Velcro)

(Sleep Cozy)

I asked his pediatrician on Tuesday is this is a bad thing and said, "absolutely not." She went on to say that once they hit a certain stage in life you have to ween them off of swaddling, so if Jake can sleep without the swaddle method... even better. So, I am now going to try sleep sacks. Halo makes one I will get and Mamabargins.com had one on today called the Sleep Cozy by babylicious. This way he can still wear his pj's or when it's hot a onesies, and then I just put the sleep sack over... so he will be warm. A blanket with out worrying about him pulling it over his head. Simple, but wonderful idea.

I will let you know how it goes!!

Love and cheers,
Brooke

First bath! 5 WEEKS

Well, I have been giving Jake sponge baths... but, not the real thing... I had to have his belly button cauterized because there was still a little piece of umbilical cord inside his belly button... anyhow, Jake had his first bath last night!

Everything he does is such a big deal to me... I know all mom's feel this way. How can you not?

He did OK. From the beginning he hasn't been a big fan of diaper changes, and getting wet. But, we have gotten past the drama of the diaper changes. When we first put him in the sink he was freaked out! And as we put more water on him he started to relax. I guess he just didn't know what his crazy mom and dad were doing!

I would like to complain about the Puj tub. I hate that thing! What cheap material and it breaks apart when Jake sits on it. Grant assembled it just as it stated. Anyhow, I will not be using that again. I have a bath tub as well for Jake.

Here are some PG pictures of our little man. I not big on posting pictures of my little guys private parts! What if he runs for office one day? Gotta keep that stuff private! ha

Oh! And lastly, at his doctors appointment Tuesday we weighed Jake and his weight is now 10 lbs and 7 oz. HE'S GETTING SO BIG!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Love and cheers,
Brooke

1 month old

Jake is 1 month old (as of yesterday)!

I love him more and more everyday... And yes that is possible. Becoming a mother is the best gift I have ever been given. It's the hardest thing I have ever done, but its the most rewarding.

Jake is 9lbs and 13 oz (as of Tuesday), and he is now wearing size 1 diapers. He's getting pretty darn big.

It's been so hot here in CA so J has been lounging in his diaper a lot lately. I haven't really been swaddling him because he hates it. However, I now have 3 Swaddle Me's and a miracle blanket I will now try. Is it bad to swaddle with the arms out? Or not swaddle at all? My little man squirms around so much the blanket falls off! He hates it... I mean, he will yell out when I begin to swaddle. He likes his arms over his head, and his legs stretched out... Can you blame him? Poor thing was Frank Breech for 3 months!

This weekend Grant and I will have our first babysitter look after Jake. We are going to Grant's friend Brian's wedding. We wont be able to make the ceremony, but we will be attending the reception. Jake can only have one bottle so I'm we are planning on having the sitter come from 4:30pm - 8:30pm. This is a big deal for me. He can only have one bottle because he is only 4 weeks and because the lactation specialist said that may cause him more gas. WE DON'T NEED ANYMORE GAS. Poor little man.

Anyhow, things have been good. He is no longer sleeping like he was in the beginning. After doing LOTS of reading and talking to other moms this is normal. They will tend to sleep less at this point and then begin to sleep again in a few more weeks. YIKES. I'm up most the day and night... with an occasional nap. The naps are hard because I find myself catching up with laundry, cleaning up, and oh I don't know...eating?! But, I know this gets better. I'm wondering how moms with twins do it. Kudos to you all!

I have been getting lots of messages from family/friends asking how I'm healing and asking about c-sections. I'm doing great! Every day is better! The first week was the toughest and you will need help. Other than that... it's not so bad! Take a look at my other blogs for more information I've posted... or give me a call... I'll tell you more! Thank you all for asking about my health!

Well, nothing more to report. He's growing and gaining weight above average, and he looks even more like his daddy. I can't wait to see how he changes from month to month!

Here are some pictures from over the week:

(example of how he sleeps)

With his best friend Colton (Kristyn's baby)

 Jake 3week - Colton 1 week - Jack 6 weeks

 Hey mom!

 1 month old... Napping before work.

 No more pictures mom!

I know... I'm cute!

 YAY! STRETCHING OUT!

 HEHE

Hope you are all having a great week!

Love and cheers,
Brooke

Lactation Specialist?

Weeks 1-3 have been awesome... hungry baby and sleepy baby. Week 3... Gassy baby. Apparently it's not just gas. It's something that I'm contributing to.

Hi, my name is Brooke Stone, and I'm a hyperlactator.

What the heck does that mean, right? Well the initial milk that the baby gets is called foremilk. Foremilk is higher in water content and higher in milk sugars (lactose). I have an over supply of foremilk that lets out quick and rapidly. Fast delivery and high lactose milk will often make the baby gassy or fussy. Babies of a hyper lactating mother are usually gassy, fussy, may cough or gag at the breast and may spit up more often. Foremilk comes before Hindmilk. Hindmilk is high in fat and good for weigh gain, brain development, and stooling. With hyper lactic babies they get too much foremilk in the beginning of feeding.

Today I went to a lactation specialist. It was AWESOME. I learned SO much! I have a whole schedule or routine now for Jake. Some people have the problem of not enough milk... I have the opposite problem... I have too much. So, now I will be pumping before Jake's feeding from 5am - 2pm. 4 minutes on the side I will be feeding from (I feed only from one side a feeding). Stop to give him Mylicon, have a little tummy time, burp him, change his diaper, back to tummy time and a massage, and then back to finish feeding on the same side.

(J loves tummy time)

I will be doing a weekly weight check to see how he's gaining. Jake is 9lbs and 13 ounces. He's gaining about a pound a week! He's getting so darn big!

If you are in the Long Beach area I would like to personally recommend Susan Orr. She is an OB/Pediatric physical therapist, certified lactation consultant, and she gives Lamaze and childbirth classes.

Her telephone number is 562.427.3782. Give her a call if you have any questions! It was so helpful today... Even though I'm doing everything right... it's nice to have more suggestions on what to do so I can relieve my baby of tummy pains. It's already working!!

Love and cheers,

Brooke

3 weeks

I wish I had more time to blog... Actually, I wish I had more time to sleep! ;)

(Our mantle with flowers Grant bought me after a rough night)

Well, Jake hit 3 weeks on Wednesday... and poor baby has been getting gassy, and is having tummy pains. Apparently, these pains are very typical and generally start around 3 weeks of age. The worst sound in the world is hearing your little baby scream or cry because they don't feel well. I know it's totally normal the aches and pains he currently has... but, it makes me so darn nervous. So, I'm being proactive in my quest for Jake's happiness.

I went and saw Jake's pediatrician Dr. G on Tuesday and she seems to think I'm hyper lactating. Wait, what?! Basically, I produce too much milk and the baby is ingesting a lot all at once causing gas bubbles in his tummy. It's more technical than that... but, that is the round about version. So, I was told to contact a lactation specialist. She was great! She gave me tips about breastfeeding and pumping and I'm meeting with her on Tuesday to see my progress. Jake is a great eater! He latched on right away, takes the bottle if I pump, etc. His little body is mainly just adjusting to life in the outside world.

Our little man is getting so big! He is now wearing all 3 months of age clothing! And some of those aren't long enough. Today I was holding him and he started to laugh and then smiled really big! It made my day! Tummy time is great! He started lifting his head within the first 24 hours, and now he lifts up his leg and tries to roll over! My mom said I started walking at 7 months... wonder when this little guy will get up and go? I heard that boys take a little longer to get going then girls though.

This has been a good week for me personally. My body feels a little better everyday. I'm numb above the incision, and there is still pain... but, I see spin classes in my near future. I don't let things or sickness keep me down for long. I run around the house cleaning, cooking, and taking care of J. Grant and I even went to our first lunch as a family. Jake slept the entire time. We went to have Greek food and even enjoyed a glass of wine! That was fun! Tonight we went to dinner and Jake yet again slept through it. This time I enjoyed a wheat beer. :)

This weekend I hope to do a little shopping. I need to buy some clothes! This coming from someone that has a full closet, I know. But, I need some looser clothes until all the baby weight comes off. I have already lost 25 lbs! Tomorrow we'll be watching the Boise State vs. Oregon State game... YAY BRONCOS!

That just about sums up the last week. I will make sure I take more photos. We had a newborn session scheduled and I canceled it until October 4th. I can't wait to take some updated family pictures! 

Here are some photos from the week:

Hospital photo - 3 days old. (Just got these in the mail)

3 weeks old - fast asleep.

My little Bronco fan! (2 1/2 weeks)

GOOOO BOISE! (2 1/2 weeks)

Love and cheers,
Brooke

2 weeks

Jake is already 2 weeks old! He is such a good baby! He sleeps most the day unless he is hungry or needs to be changed. However as I type this blog he is wide away. He recognizes my voice and Grants and will try to focus in on us. He is beautiful. I know he is my son... but, really... he is beautiful. I can't wait until he comes into his own little personality and starts cooing and laughing. When he gets upset I kiss his face and talk to him... that usually calms him down.

My mom, dad, and Dylan left on Tuesday. I cried that entire day. I was so sad. I know I'm a 30 year old grown independent woman... but, it doesn't matter. I hate the fact they live far. My mom was absolutely amazing. She slept in our bed with me and would hand off the baby to me after she changed him so that I could feed him. We watched TV in the middle of the night, laughed, passed out, and even cried together. She bathed Jake, went to our appointments, cooked, and cleaned. When she left I felt like I was missing something. I miss her. Jake misses her. My dad walked Brady, took out the trash, and ran errands for me. They are amazing parents. I strive to be a parents like them.

When Grant walked in the door after dropping them off I felt at peace again. I have a good husband. He is loving, helpful, and sensitive to my crazy needs right now. He always wants to make me happy. Even though I miss my parents like crazy I have married a man that I am building a family with. What an amazing concept. Building a family. How do you become a good parent? I assume from trial, error, and faith in God. I'm glad Grant and I have the same morals and values to raise our little man... and more children in the future. I'm so excited for what the future holds. I pray for health and happiness and will continue to strive to be the best mommy, wife, and daughter I can be.

Today I went to my 2 week postpartum appointment. It went well. They took the tape off the wound and cleared me to be able to drive and do normal activities. I still have to take it easy and take pain medication if I need it. I stopped taking everything but my iron pills. But, sometimes I get some pain in the incision area. I go back again for my 6 week appointment. I feel pretty good. Lots of people have sent me messages about c-sections and what my thoughts are with them... So, I decided to list a pro and con list.

Con's (I like the negative first... ending on the positive):

• Can't hold the baby after they are born
• You have to go to recovery for several hours (I was in recovery for 3 hours... and I was totally fine with no complications), and still not see your baby
• You have a catheter 
• You have to keep the IV and catheter in for a full 24 hours
• Taking out the catheter is a little awkward and then they make you get up to go to the bathroom. Have them help you and go slow.
• Getting up when the baby cries is a challenge. You'll need help. 
• Getting up once your laying down is a challenge in general.
• Longer recovery time
• Can't drive for 2 weeks
• Longer stay in the hospital
• Scar

Pro's:

• Fast delivery
• No pain with the contractions (even though my water did break and I was having contractions)
• Spinal block numbs everything for up to 24 hours
• Longer time in the hospital for aftercare
• Your baby has a round shaped head 
• Don't injure your body parts "down there"
• Less bleeding "down there" postpartum
• You can plan around the day chosen (if not an emergency)

In my opinion I would have still liked to have tried for a vaginal birth... but, the c-section was not terrible. The first week was the worst, but it gets better everyday! I stayed in the hospital for 3 days... that was helpful! Those first few days were the worst. By the 4th day I wanted to go home! It was nice having my family here and Grant to help out! Next birth I will probably try for a VBAC Vaginal birth after cesarean. That is if our next baby is NOT breech. :)

Here are a few pics from the week... I will continue to post more.

Jake at 2 weeks

Grant and Dylan

Grandma Spellman with Jake

Love and Cheers,

Brooke

1 week old (September 8th)

Hello All!

My name is Jake. I was born on September 1st. I'm your typical baby. I like to eat, sleep, poop and be held. Yea, I said it. But, that's what I like to do. Oh! I forgot to say I love my mommy and daddy. They're pretty cool. Looks like God sent me to the right place. My first week has been a busy one. I left the hospital after 3 days, and came home to a full house. My grandparents were here, my uncles Marty, and Dylan, my aunt Ashley, and my mom's friend Kristy. I've had lots of visitors as well! Auntie Katy, Matty, Sandi and Kristyn too! I'm a happy baby. I don't have much to complain about. Life is good. I love when my mom sings Christian Hymns to me, and I already love my ABC's. My mom keeps saying I'm the best 30th birthday present she could have ever wished for. And that I'm a gift from God.

Let's see... what have we been doing this last week? Well, last Sunday (Sept 5th) I went back to the hospital for blood testing. They wanted to test my bilirubin levels because my pediatrician said I was a little jaundice. My mom cried when she saw how they take blood from a baby the day before at the hospital. So, grandma went with us. It wasn't that bad. It wasn't any worse than a diaper change in my opinion. I really hate that! I love my grandma! She sleeps with mommy and wakes up when I cry, changes me and passes me to mommy so I can eat. I LOVE TO EAT! Grandma has been helping clean the house, doing laundry... and pretty much everything my mom needs help with! Mom is feeling much better though. And everyone in the house has to tell her to sit down and stop doing so much. My dad has slept downstairs for the past few days, since grandma has been with mommy. This helps daddy so he can get up super early for work. I love hearing my dad's voice when he walks in the door from work. Daddy and I have skin on skin time every night. I lay on him with a blanket covering me. I fall asleep on him.

I went to my first doctors appointment this week. It wasn't so bad. I'm not jaundice enough for worry or concern. So, they are leaving that alone. Thank goodness! They weighed me. I gained 7 oz in 2 days. I told you people... I like to eat! Something perfectly natural happened to me when they went to weigh me...  they took my diaper off and I peed. Hello people... It was cold! The nurse laughed and said I marked my territory. But, I was just cold and had to go! Yesterday I went to the bay with Grandpa, Grandma, daddy, Dylan, and mommy. It was fun! My dog Brady ran in the water! It was pretty cool!

Well, I gotta get going. It's time for dinner! I'll write more later.

See ya!
Jake

My first sponge bath:

Grandma showing mommy how to bathe me:

Chillin in my swing:

The bay:

My dog Brady running in and out of the water:

Night night!