Daddy and I always intended to merge this baby blog after your birth, so we have chosen this time, when you met your big brother Miles for the first time and we became a united family of four as the perfect time to merge the blogs.
For those following this blog, please continue to read about our family updates and exciting adventures at www.caldwell-living.blogspot.com. Thanks for your support and kind words throughout our pregnancy and road to meeting Jackson.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Jackson's First Day
We were up rather early this morning with Jackson, but are at least feeling a little bit rested at least after yesterday. With both of us going out of work sooner than we were prepared to, we spend most of the morning closing up loose ends and finishing a few tasks for work along with playing with Jackson and beginning to get to know him. So far Jackson seems to be a rather laid back baby... We shall see if that plays out to be true.
Throughout the course of the morning, I was slowly but surely being taken off the monitors one at a time. Around 1:00, I was taken off the last line. It felt great to be a free woman again, able to walk around my room as I wished! Once I was "freed at last," I was eager to get up and moving around. It felt nice to be out of bed, so I was up and in the chair as much as I could stand.
It wasn't long until our first visitor came to meet Jackson... Aunt Tracey. Aunt Tracey had driven down from Hoboken, NJ to meet the little fellow.
Just before Aunt Tracey was about to leave, Nonni, Poppi and Miles arrived to meet Jackson.
Daddy and Jackson time
Look how red Jackson was!
Throughout the course of the morning, I was slowly but surely being taken off the monitors one at a time. Around 1:00, I was taken off the last line. It felt great to be a free woman again, able to walk around my room as I wished! Once I was "freed at last," I was eager to get up and moving around. It felt nice to be out of bed, so I was up and in the chair as much as I could stand.
It wasn't long until our first visitor came to meet Jackson... Aunt Tracey. Aunt Tracey had driven down from Hoboken, NJ to meet the little fellow.
Miles meeting Jackson for the first time
Jackson with Nonni and Poppi
Finally getting to snuggle my big Miles
Jackson and Nonni
Jackson with Aunt Tracey and Nonni
One tuckered out little star
The End to An Exceptionally LONG Day
After we made it out of the OR, the three of us were transferred to the PACU for recovery. It was in the PACU that I was finally able to hold Jackson for the first time! He felt so incredibly little. Daddy and I had a hard time getting out minds around the fact that Jackson looked so much smaller than Miles had. I personally think it is because Jackson has a much smaller head than Miles, as they were only 3/4 lb difference between the two boys. They also were both the same length, 20 inches. Daddy and I also thought that Jackson and Miles looked nothing alike. We will have to see once we get home and see Miles Baby photos how similar they might actually look.
Poor Daddy had not had anything to eat for dinner as we went straight (almost) from work to the hospital, so he did not get dinner. Luckily the nurses had some menus of places that we could order some food for Daddy to eat. While we were waiting for Daddy's food to arrive, Jackson was taken to the nursery. Daddy went along to get some photos of Jackson's first bath.
After Jackson's first bath was over, Daddy sat down and finally ate dinner, around 2:30 or 3:00 in the morning. Poor Daddy! While Daddy was eating, I was resting to be able to nurse Jackson through the night when he needed. Before long, Jackson was back from the nursery and around 3:30 the three of us turned out the lights for the first time, ending our very long day!
We were in recovery for a little bit while the medical team monitored my vitals before we were moved to the post partum wing. We arrived in our room right around midnight. We spent the next hour playing with Jackson, as well as calling family and letting them know the good news that Jackson Christopher had arrived.
Jackson survived his first bath!
Jackson's first hair do!
After Jackson's first bath was over, Daddy sat down and finally ate dinner, around 2:30 or 3:00 in the morning. Poor Daddy! While Daddy was eating, I was resting to be able to nurse Jackson through the night when he needed. Before long, Jackson was back from the nursery and around 3:30 the three of us turned out the lights for the first time, ending our very long day!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
The Rush (Ha Ha) to GBMC
At this point, I was feeling a little more relaxed as I had 1) made it through the day and 2) Miles would be staying with Josh for the evening if we were to be admitted to the hospital. Chris was there is no time and we were at the house packing our bag. We were probably at the house for about 20 minutes packing the bag, feeding the cats and a few other things that needed to be done before heading to the hospital for a few days... Hoping we would be back home with out Miles in a few short hours.
At this point the contractions were becoming stronger and stronger, but we were on our way to the hospital, so who cared... After all, it only takes 20 minutes to get to the hospital. Wrong!!! The traffic was SO BAD for some unknown reason. It ended up taking us almost 30 minutes just to get off of Baltimore Street! In total, the drive to GMBC was around 75 minutes... YIKES!!! Needless to say, I began timing the contractions as they were getting pretty intense in the car. This time, they were running between 2 and 3 minutes apart... Maybe we shouldn't have gone home!
Contractions in route to GBMC:
Duration: Interval:
6:50 31 seconds
6:53 41 seconds 2:29 minutes
6:56 51 seconds 2:57 minutes
7:00 51 seconds 3:47 minutes
7:02 41 seconds 2:21 minutes
We arrived at GBMC around 7. We were sent to the admitting waiting room, where I was unable to sit in the chair at this point. Instead I was standing, swaying back and forth as Chris made every attempt to distract me. After what seemed forever, but I am sure was no longer than 10 minutes, we were back in triage being evaluated. I was in fact in labor, and dilated to 1cm! They hooked me up to all the monitors to evaluate how both Baby and I were doing. Chris watched the monitors as my contractions were getting closer and closer together and stronger and stronger in intensity. It wasn't long before they hooked me up to 2 bags of fluids in hopes to slow down the contractions. The fluids helped a little, but not enough for the medical team's liking. The concern for Baby was that every time I had a contraction, Baby must have been pushing up against the umbilical cord, causing a "hick-up" in Baby's heart rate.
Dr. Merryman arrived and agreed with the team that tonight is the night... Baby was going to be born soon. The only thing that was slowing down Baby's birth at this point was the need for an OR to open up for us. With this news, Chris became a very busy man, sending texts to family and friends letting them know that we were about to be in the OR to have our Baby! He also had to help "coach" me through what seemed like horrible contractions. I was hooked up to so many monitoring devises that I just could not move. All I wanted to do was at least sit up or stand as I was experiencing horrible back labor, and according to Chris my contractions at this point were "off the charts."
Finally, we were headed down the hallway towards the OR. This was when Chris and I were separated while they prepped me for the OR. I finally received my spinal and began to relax a bit from the pain and really begin to think about the fact that we were about to have our Baby. I remember just watching the clock, noticing it was 9:30ish while they were prepping me and the room. It was at this point that Chris was allowed back in the room! Yeah, my support system that I had missed so much for the past 15ish minutes.
Almost immediately after Chris was back in the room, the c-section began. The surgery seemed to take forever, but at least I wasn't crying this time around like I was with Miles. The team that performed the surgery was incredible, especially the anesthesiologist and Dr. Merryman. When Baby was about to be born, she gave Chris a 30 second warning to get the camera out and ready, so that Chris could get some just born photos.
Right as Chris was taking the pictures, I wish I could have taken a picture of him as Dr. Merryman announced... It's a BOY!!!! Oh the priceless moments of life that you know you will never forget! Chris stayed with me for a few minutes, and then went over to be with Jackson and see how he was doing. Chris' first words to me was "he is so skinny." Then the official birth weight came out... 6 lbs 13.2 ounces. (For reference, Miles was 7 lbs 6 ounces.)
Chris then spent the rest of the time jumping back and forth between myself and Jackson, making sure both of us were doing ok. Jackson was doing wonderful with an Apgar of 8/10, while I was actually pretty relaxed, trying to get my head around the fact that I am now surrounded by a whole bunch of boys at home. I have to be honest... There was a petrifying moment for me when things really started to sink in.
Before long, Chris was able to introduce me to Jackson. As I looked at him, all I could think about was how gorgeous he was. The anesthesiologist then helped Chris take a few pictures of Jackson and I and before we knew it we were all off to recovery together.
At this point the contractions were becoming stronger and stronger, but we were on our way to the hospital, so who cared... After all, it only takes 20 minutes to get to the hospital. Wrong!!! The traffic was SO BAD for some unknown reason. It ended up taking us almost 30 minutes just to get off of Baltimore Street! In total, the drive to GMBC was around 75 minutes... YIKES!!! Needless to say, I began timing the contractions as they were getting pretty intense in the car. This time, they were running between 2 and 3 minutes apart... Maybe we shouldn't have gone home!
Contractions in route to GBMC:
Duration: Interval:
6:50 31 seconds
6:53 41 seconds 2:29 minutes
6:56 51 seconds 2:57 minutes
7:00 51 seconds 3:47 minutes
7:02 41 seconds 2:21 minutes
We arrived at GBMC around 7. We were sent to the admitting waiting room, where I was unable to sit in the chair at this point. Instead I was standing, swaying back and forth as Chris made every attempt to distract me. After what seemed forever, but I am sure was no longer than 10 minutes, we were back in triage being evaluated. I was in fact in labor, and dilated to 1cm! They hooked me up to all the monitors to evaluate how both Baby and I were doing. Chris watched the monitors as my contractions were getting closer and closer together and stronger and stronger in intensity. It wasn't long before they hooked me up to 2 bags of fluids in hopes to slow down the contractions. The fluids helped a little, but not enough for the medical team's liking. The concern for Baby was that every time I had a contraction, Baby must have been pushing up against the umbilical cord, causing a "hick-up" in Baby's heart rate.
Dr. Merryman arrived and agreed with the team that tonight is the night... Baby was going to be born soon. The only thing that was slowing down Baby's birth at this point was the need for an OR to open up for us. With this news, Chris became a very busy man, sending texts to family and friends letting them know that we were about to be in the OR to have our Baby! He also had to help "coach" me through what seemed like horrible contractions. I was hooked up to so many monitoring devises that I just could not move. All I wanted to do was at least sit up or stand as I was experiencing horrible back labor, and according to Chris my contractions at this point were "off the charts."
Finally, we were headed down the hallway towards the OR. This was when Chris and I were separated while they prepped me for the OR. I finally received my spinal and began to relax a bit from the pain and really begin to think about the fact that we were about to have our Baby. I remember just watching the clock, noticing it was 9:30ish while they were prepping me and the room. It was at this point that Chris was allowed back in the room! Yeah, my support system that I had missed so much for the past 15ish minutes.
Almost immediately after Chris was back in the room, the c-section began. The surgery seemed to take forever, but at least I wasn't crying this time around like I was with Miles. The team that performed the surgery was incredible, especially the anesthesiologist and Dr. Merryman. When Baby was about to be born, she gave Chris a 30 second warning to get the camera out and ready, so that Chris could get some just born photos.
Chris then spent the rest of the time jumping back and forth between myself and Jackson, making sure both of us were doing ok. Jackson was doing wonderful with an Apgar of 8/10, while I was actually pretty relaxed, trying to get my head around the fact that I am now surrounded by a whole bunch of boys at home. I have to be honest... There was a petrifying moment for me when things really started to sink in.
Before long, Chris was able to introduce me to Jackson. As I looked at him, all I could think about was how gorgeous he was. The anesthesiologist then helped Chris take a few pictures of Jackson and I and before we knew it we were all off to recovery together.
Welcome Jackson!
Welcome Jackson Christopher Caldwell
Born: April 11, 2012 at 9:52 PM
Weight: 6 lbs 13.2 ounces
Height: 20 inches
Head circumference: 33.5 cm
38 Weeks Belly Photos
This week we were running a little behind on belly photos, so we ended up taking the 38 week belly photos as we were heading into GBMC, just 3 hours before Jackson was born. They took a little while, as poor Chris had to time the photos between contractions.
Fun Day at Work
This morning started off a little strange, but for the most part, started off as a normal day. I was awoken this morning around 5AM with some rather strange sensations. I laid in bed, drifting in and out of sleep feeling what I was thinking was simply strong braxton hicks. After much procrastination, I finally got out of bed, got ready for work, got Miles up and ready for Josh's, packed lunch, etc. Before I knew it, Chris was about to drop me off at work. I am not quit sure where it came from, but right before I got out of the car I found myself saying to Chris "please keep your cell phone close by, I just have a funny feeling about today."
As I walked into work, I found myself stopping in the hallway, holding onto the wall and tearing up a little for 30 ish seconds at a time. After everyone told me a few times to go home, things seemed to start to calm down a bit. By 8:00 I was starting to get the feeling that I had better start to time the "contractions," as I could not really get a take on how long they were lasting or how far apart they were, so I pulled up an app on my phone and started timing them. This continued all morning, as there was not much of a pattern to them. I made Chris aware around lunch time and we agreed that we did not think this was the "real thing." After all, if I was in labor, how in the world could I be working, holding meetings, concentrating, etc.
The morning contractions that I tracked between 8:15 and 11:16
Duration: Interval:
39 seconds
22 seconds 2:20 minutes
1:04 minutes 8:24 minutes
36 seconds 7:56 minutes
38 seconds 5:46 minutes
46 seconds 7:55 minutes
1:03 minutes 9:16 minutes
39 seconds 6:54 minutes
39 seconds 7:50 minutes
1:00 minutes 3:26 minutes
30 seconds 5:11 minutes
54 seconds 12:19 minutes
52 seconds 12:52 minutes
45 seconds 7:50 minutes
1:03 minutes 6:38 minutes
50 seconds 33:00 minutes
37 seconds 14:51 minutes
40 seconds 8:28 minutes
51 seconds 4:44 minutes
50 seconds 15:59 minutes
Later in the afternoon things had not slowed down, in fact, the intensity was beginning to increase, and the frequency was becoming more consistent. I did not want to call my OB, as I was afraid if I did that they were going to have me come in immediately to be checked out, and in my opinion, I was doing fine and could make it through the work day, so I kept pushing off calling. I also had the feeling if I did go to labor and delivery to be evaluated they might just go ahead and do the c-section today, a week early. I was not emotionally ready for that, and truth be told, the house was not clean or prepared for me to have Baby today. Chris and I did not have a backup plan for Miles and we did not have a hospital bag packed yet, so in no way was I ready.
As the afternoon continued, I was still able to work. I had a meeting with my boss and my counterpart at 2:30, and I had promised Chris I would call our OB when the meeting was over at 4:00. So that I could give my OB an accurate description of the contractions, I began tracking the contractions during the meeting. The meeting ended a little past 4:30. At that time I looked down at my phone and realized that my contractions were now lasting between 30 and 45 seconds and were now only 5 minutes apart and pretty consistent. It was at this point that I decided it was time to tell my boss, as well as call our OB. As I was on the phone with my OB, two of my co-workers along with my boss were eagerly packing up my things for the day and trying to close any loose ends that were hanging as they were trying to "push" me out the door.
Contractions from during the meeting:
Duration: Interval:
3:09 49 seconds
3:14 32 seconds 4:26 minutes
3:19 41 seconds 4:52 minutes
3:24 41 seconds 5:43 minutes
3:30 54 seconds 5:15 minutes
Unfortunately our OB was not on call for the day, but her counterpart in the practice was. That was fine with me, as I had seen Dr. Merryman on Monday for my 38 week appointment, so she remembered me from the other day. She said the decision to come in was ultimately up to me, but that they did not want me laboring, so her recommendation was to come into the hospital and she would see me soon. Very upset, I got off the phone with her and immediately called Chris. As I told him I was being sent to GBMC to be evaluated, he immediately started to clean up for the day, heading to pick me up. He offered to drop by the house and finish packing our bag, but I told him that I would prefer that he come and pick me up and I would help pack the bag, so he agreed. I then spoke with Josh, who was generous enough to keep Miles for the evening until our parents could pick him up the following day if that is what was needed.
We were off to GBMC!
As I walked into work, I found myself stopping in the hallway, holding onto the wall and tearing up a little for 30 ish seconds at a time. After everyone told me a few times to go home, things seemed to start to calm down a bit. By 8:00 I was starting to get the feeling that I had better start to time the "contractions," as I could not really get a take on how long they were lasting or how far apart they were, so I pulled up an app on my phone and started timing them. This continued all morning, as there was not much of a pattern to them. I made Chris aware around lunch time and we agreed that we did not think this was the "real thing." After all, if I was in labor, how in the world could I be working, holding meetings, concentrating, etc.
The morning contractions that I tracked between 8:15 and 11:16
Duration: Interval:
39 seconds
22 seconds 2:20 minutes
1:04 minutes 8:24 minutes
36 seconds 7:56 minutes
38 seconds 5:46 minutes
46 seconds 7:55 minutes
1:03 minutes 9:16 minutes
39 seconds 6:54 minutes
39 seconds 7:50 minutes
1:00 minutes 3:26 minutes
30 seconds 5:11 minutes
54 seconds 12:19 minutes
52 seconds 12:52 minutes
45 seconds 7:50 minutes
1:03 minutes 6:38 minutes
50 seconds 33:00 minutes
37 seconds 14:51 minutes
40 seconds 8:28 minutes
51 seconds 4:44 minutes
50 seconds 15:59 minutes
Later in the afternoon things had not slowed down, in fact, the intensity was beginning to increase, and the frequency was becoming more consistent. I did not want to call my OB, as I was afraid if I did that they were going to have me come in immediately to be checked out, and in my opinion, I was doing fine and could make it through the work day, so I kept pushing off calling. I also had the feeling if I did go to labor and delivery to be evaluated they might just go ahead and do the c-section today, a week early. I was not emotionally ready for that, and truth be told, the house was not clean or prepared for me to have Baby today. Chris and I did not have a backup plan for Miles and we did not have a hospital bag packed yet, so in no way was I ready.
As the afternoon continued, I was still able to work. I had a meeting with my boss and my counterpart at 2:30, and I had promised Chris I would call our OB when the meeting was over at 4:00. So that I could give my OB an accurate description of the contractions, I began tracking the contractions during the meeting. The meeting ended a little past 4:30. At that time I looked down at my phone and realized that my contractions were now lasting between 30 and 45 seconds and were now only 5 minutes apart and pretty consistent. It was at this point that I decided it was time to tell my boss, as well as call our OB. As I was on the phone with my OB, two of my co-workers along with my boss were eagerly packing up my things for the day and trying to close any loose ends that were hanging as they were trying to "push" me out the door.
Contractions from during the meeting:
Duration: Interval:
3:09 49 seconds
3:14 32 seconds 4:26 minutes
3:19 41 seconds 4:52 minutes
3:24 41 seconds 5:43 minutes
3:30 54 seconds 5:15 minutes
Unfortunately our OB was not on call for the day, but her counterpart in the practice was. That was fine with me, as I had seen Dr. Merryman on Monday for my 38 week appointment, so she remembered me from the other day. She said the decision to come in was ultimately up to me, but that they did not want me laboring, so her recommendation was to come into the hospital and she would see me soon. Very upset, I got off the phone with her and immediately called Chris. As I told him I was being sent to GBMC to be evaluated, he immediately started to clean up for the day, heading to pick me up. He offered to drop by the house and finish packing our bag, but I told him that I would prefer that he come and pick me up and I would help pack the bag, so he agreed. I then spoke with Josh, who was generous enough to keep Miles for the evening until our parents could pick him up the following day if that is what was needed.
We were off to GBMC!
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