Judah is 6 days old in these photos. He is currently 5 weeks old. We can already see how he's grown!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Judah's first month
Well so far Judah is a really easy baby. I know that he's still a newborn and they sleep a lot, but he seems to have a very calm temperament. He rarely ever cries, except for when I'm trying to let him fall back asleep on his own...he would much rather be held than left in his bed. We're beginning to try to get him to sleep longer at night. So far, he sleeps about 4-5 hours at a time, which is fantastic. I usually only feed him once or twice over night (depending on how early I go to bed!)
Some new pictures..
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Some new pictures..
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Judah's Birth Story
Wednesday, November 18th we went to Church like any normal day. Since d-day is only a week away, many people are asking me how I'm feeling. The usual response - "I'm ready". I loved to be pregnant, as pregnancy treated me very well, but I was so ready to meet my son. Yet, we all had a sinking feeling that I would be overdue and there would be no baby for a few weeks. Most people said that I wasn't big enough yet and they all thought that it would take a while! So, unsuspectingly, we go to bed like any other night. Before kissing my dear husband good night I say to him...I hope he's born soon so you don't have to go back to work! Well, be careful what you wish for!
10:00 p.m. - sleep, blessed sleep
2:30 a.m. - I awake to hear a strange noise in my belly...but think nothing of it
2:35 a.m. - get out of bed to go pee - which happens a lot when you are pregnant! While I was walking to the bathroom I feel a huge gush of water, and realize with great excitement what is happening. I debate quietly whether or not I should wake Paul. I was positive that my water had broke, but felt no contractions or any other possible signs of labour. I thought that maybe I should go back to sleep - but more fluid keeps leaking out!!!
2:40 a.m. - I try to wake Paul up, who is sleeping really hard. I finally say "Paul, my water broke" which got him up like a shot. The only question in both of our minds - "what do we do now?" Well, when you aren't sure - you call telehealth - highly recommended by the way. They gave us some fantastic advice: "Go to the hospital!" Yay!
2:45 a.m. - Paul gets our already packed bags in the car and gathers a few things he thinks we might need while I go and take a nice hot shower. We get ourselves loaded up in the car (with a towel on my seat!) and drive to West Lincoln (Grimsby) hospital.
3:15ish - we arrive at the hospital and they tell us that we will be admitted. They immediately hook me up to a monitor for baby's heart rate and contractions. Everything is looking good - but not dialated at all yet! Sad news.
4:00 - the nurse tells us that it is likely they will induce labour as nothing seems to be happening. They don't want to leave me for long, as once your bag of waters is broken, your uterus is no longer a sterile environment. The doctor comes in shortly after to reiterate what the nurse has told us. Yes, they are going to begin by giving me Oxytocin to move this labour along. So the nurse gives me an IV, hooks me up to the pole and tells us to go for a walk. The hallway is not very long or interesting, so after 20 minutes of walking back and forth, I go lay down again to see if I can get some rest.
6:00 a.m. - Paul's had a nice nap while I have begun to feel the contractions and have not slept at all. They Oxytocin is beginning to work. The nurse comes to check me and reports that I am 1 cm dialated. That's progress at least!
The rest is all a blur from here...the times are not very accurate!!
8:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon - more contractions, more walking around and more pretending to get some sleep - though sleep never comes. The pain is more obvious and more regular now. Paul wants to know how far apart they are, and asks me to tell him with each contraction, but he's so tired that he really just wants to sleep. I finally stop telling him so that he can nap.
12:00 noon the nurse brings me lunch but tells me that I'm not allowed to eat it - how nice of her. Paul looks at it and doesn't eat it either - so I guess I wasn't missing too much. At this point I've downed at least 5 1L bottles of water! Paul keeps them coming.
2:00 p.m. - the contractions are a few minutes apart and getting extremely painful. The Oxytocin is doing it's job. I talk to Paul about the possibility of getting an epidural.
4:00 p.m. - I decide that a needle in the back is way less scary than dealing with the pain of more contractions. I ask the nurse to call the anesthesiologist.
4:45 p.m. - I love epidurals. I'm calm, happy, pain free and able to enjoy the progress of labour...for a little while. The nurse checks me and says that I'm 6 cm dialate - fantastic progress, but a little slow for my liking
7:00 p.m. - The nurse checks me - no change. Still 6 cm.
7:30 p.m. - A new shift of nurses has started and the new nurse realizes that the Oxytocin has not been put up quite high enough. I complain about pain from pressure, and she gives me an extra dose of pain relief in my epidural drip. She also puts the Oxytocin up to 16 and gradually increases the level every half hour or so.
8:00 p.m. - the pain of the contractions have returned with a vengence. I tell the nurse that there is a lot of pressure and that it's hurting with every contraction. She tells me to push the button every time I feel in pain. This puts more pain relief through the epidural catheter - but it doesn't really help!
9:10 p.m. - I beg the nurse to check me again - I can tell that things are progressing! The nurse checks me and to her surprise I'm 9 1/2 cm dialated! We're almost there! She tells me to hang in there for another half and hour or so, but I don't even make it for 20 minutes before complaining.
9:20 p.m. - I tell the nurse that I feel ready to push, though since it's my first baby I wasn't really sure. I just know that I didn't want to sit with that pressure any longer and do nothing! The nurse doesn't believe me, but agrees to check me anyway. She can already see the baby's head and she calls the doctor.
9:30 p.m. - I start pushing, and it's actually moving along pretty quickly. The nurse decide to call the doctor who arrive promptly.
9:45 p.m. - He comes in and see my progress and tells the nurse that he does not have time to go and get changed. He simply dons an apron and prepares to catch the baby. We keep pushing with every contraction while Paul eagerly watches his son being born. Paul's excitement of seeing Judah's head is enough encouragement to keep going.
10:11 p.m. - Judah James Koole makes his debut. He's put on my chest and I am so happy that I forget to cry! We instantly fall in love with our new little babe! I ask the doctors, "are you sure that he's a boy?" and they assure me that he is. He is checked and weighed, and all is well. I smile when I see his tiny little bum over in the warmer. We finally get to meet our son :)
10:00 p.m. - sleep, blessed sleep
2:30 a.m. - I awake to hear a strange noise in my belly...but think nothing of it
2:35 a.m. - get out of bed to go pee - which happens a lot when you are pregnant! While I was walking to the bathroom I feel a huge gush of water, and realize with great excitement what is happening. I debate quietly whether or not I should wake Paul. I was positive that my water had broke, but felt no contractions or any other possible signs of labour. I thought that maybe I should go back to sleep - but more fluid keeps leaking out!!!
2:40 a.m. - I try to wake Paul up, who is sleeping really hard. I finally say "Paul, my water broke" which got him up like a shot. The only question in both of our minds - "what do we do now?" Well, when you aren't sure - you call telehealth - highly recommended by the way. They gave us some fantastic advice: "Go to the hospital!" Yay!
2:45 a.m. - Paul gets our already packed bags in the car and gathers a few things he thinks we might need while I go and take a nice hot shower. We get ourselves loaded up in the car (with a towel on my seat!) and drive to West Lincoln (Grimsby) hospital.
3:15ish - we arrive at the hospital and they tell us that we will be admitted. They immediately hook me up to a monitor for baby's heart rate and contractions. Everything is looking good - but not dialated at all yet! Sad news.
4:00 - the nurse tells us that it is likely they will induce labour as nothing seems to be happening. They don't want to leave me for long, as once your bag of waters is broken, your uterus is no longer a sterile environment. The doctor comes in shortly after to reiterate what the nurse has told us. Yes, they are going to begin by giving me Oxytocin to move this labour along. So the nurse gives me an IV, hooks me up to the pole and tells us to go for a walk. The hallway is not very long or interesting, so after 20 minutes of walking back and forth, I go lay down again to see if I can get some rest.
6:00 a.m. - Paul's had a nice nap while I have begun to feel the contractions and have not slept at all. They Oxytocin is beginning to work. The nurse comes to check me and reports that I am 1 cm dialated. That's progress at least!
The rest is all a blur from here...the times are not very accurate!!
8:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon - more contractions, more walking around and more pretending to get some sleep - though sleep never comes. The pain is more obvious and more regular now. Paul wants to know how far apart they are, and asks me to tell him with each contraction, but he's so tired that he really just wants to sleep. I finally stop telling him so that he can nap.
12:00 noon the nurse brings me lunch but tells me that I'm not allowed to eat it - how nice of her. Paul looks at it and doesn't eat it either - so I guess I wasn't missing too much. At this point I've downed at least 5 1L bottles of water! Paul keeps them coming.
2:00 p.m. - the contractions are a few minutes apart and getting extremely painful. The Oxytocin is doing it's job. I talk to Paul about the possibility of getting an epidural.
4:00 p.m. - I decide that a needle in the back is way less scary than dealing with the pain of more contractions. I ask the nurse to call the anesthesiologist.
4:45 p.m. - I love epidurals. I'm calm, happy, pain free and able to enjoy the progress of labour...for a little while. The nurse checks me and says that I'm 6 cm dialate - fantastic progress, but a little slow for my liking
7:00 p.m. - The nurse checks me - no change. Still 6 cm.
7:30 p.m. - A new shift of nurses has started and the new nurse realizes that the Oxytocin has not been put up quite high enough. I complain about pain from pressure, and she gives me an extra dose of pain relief in my epidural drip. She also puts the Oxytocin up to 16 and gradually increases the level every half hour or so.
8:00 p.m. - the pain of the contractions have returned with a vengence. I tell the nurse that there is a lot of pressure and that it's hurting with every contraction. She tells me to push the button every time I feel in pain. This puts more pain relief through the epidural catheter - but it doesn't really help!
9:10 p.m. - I beg the nurse to check me again - I can tell that things are progressing! The nurse checks me and to her surprise I'm 9 1/2 cm dialated! We're almost there! She tells me to hang in there for another half and hour or so, but I don't even make it for 20 minutes before complaining.
9:20 p.m. - I tell the nurse that I feel ready to push, though since it's my first baby I wasn't really sure. I just know that I didn't want to sit with that pressure any longer and do nothing! The nurse doesn't believe me, but agrees to check me anyway. She can already see the baby's head and she calls the doctor.
9:30 p.m. - I start pushing, and it's actually moving along pretty quickly. The nurse decide to call the doctor who arrive promptly.
9:45 p.m. - He comes in and see my progress and tells the nurse that he does not have time to go and get changed. He simply dons an apron and prepares to catch the baby. We keep pushing with every contraction while Paul eagerly watches his son being born. Paul's excitement of seeing Judah's head is enough encouragement to keep going.
10:11 p.m. - Judah James Koole makes his debut. He's put on my chest and I am so happy that I forget to cry! We instantly fall in love with our new little babe! I ask the doctors, "are you sure that he's a boy?" and they assure me that he is. He is checked and weighed, and all is well. I smile when I see his tiny little bum over in the warmer. We finally get to meet our son :)
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Judah's Photo Session - Preview
Judah had some professional newborn pictures taken. Here's a few - just a sneak peak :)
Friday, December 11, 2009
Judah James Koole has arrived!!
Well, though this is a little late in coming, we are proud to announce the arrival of Judah! He has already brought so much joy to our busy home! Labour took a total of 20 hrs from start to finish, with about 35 minutes of pushing...all in all it wasn't so bad! We had SO many visitors the first week, that I had to take a break from seeing people for a little while. I even put a "No Visitors Please" sign on our front door! Though it seems really mean, it helped me to get my rest, to get some time alone with my new little man and to get back to feeling like my old self again. Paul had the first two weeks off of work, which was a tremendous help! It was an amazing bonding time for the three of us. Also, my mom came and stayed with us for a whole week! She cooked, cleaned and babysat and did whatever we needed her to. It was wonderful and helped me to not get too stressed out. Judah and I had a hard time with breastfeeding, though. It was a huge struggle full of pain and tears, and we have decided to feed him formula. It was not an easy decision to make, but I was concerned that the breastfeeding was going to cause me to slip into postpartum depression, as I was so upset all the time. Once we made the switch, both Judah and I have been happy and healthy and doing well. Though, it doesn't stop people from making me feel extremely guilty about it! This past week has been wonderful. Amber has been down all week from Peterborough, and it has been so much fun to have her and the kids around. Judah has been sleeping well and Paul went back to work - which helped me to realize that I can handle this mommy thing okay! Okay, on to the good part...here's some pictures of Judah :)
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