Pictures

Syler: 6 wks 2 days old. Loving his bouncer.

The family (minus daddy).

So tired from a very busy day.

Momma loving Syler.

Doctor's Appt # 2-Syler

Syler went to the doctors today for his second 'Child Wellness Exam' and it went great!!!! Syler weigh in at 10 lbs 9 ozs. He has gained 4 pounds since he has left the hospital. He is currently 22 inches long. He grew 4 inches since August 14th. His head circumference is 14.5. The doctor stated that he is where he should be, and he has caught up so now he will not be behind when it comes to meeting milestones and what not. The doctor checked his eyes, legs and hips, and all are fine. The one thing that is of some concern is that Syler has an Umbilical Hernia, causing his belly button to stick out about a half inch. The doctor stated that at this time it is nothing to worry about as long as we can push his belly button back in. But, if it comes to the point where we are not able to push his belly button back in he may need surgery. So, for now, we just keep an eye on it. Other than that, Syler is happy and healthy!!!!!!!!!!! Our next appointment is the 2nd week of October and that is when Syler starts his rounds of vaccine shots. Kind of not looking forward to that.

Labor & Delivery

LABOR & DELIVERY

Per request of a great friend, here is the story of my labor and deliver (pace yourself: its kind of on the long side)

Friday July 31: It was a normal day. I woke up around the same time Miguel does. I putzed around, ate breakfast, then went to hang out in the bedroom with Max and watch tv on my laptop. Around 10-10:30 I started to have contractions. I didn't think anything of it. Just thought the contractions were braxton hicks contractions. So, just out of curiousity and a little bit of concern (just in case they were the "real" thing) I started timing my contractions. Throughout the whole day the contractions were very inconsistent; far apart and not very long. Come later that night, the contractions started getting close together, but were still somewhat short,which kind of concerned me a little more, but not really. I was still thinking they were braxton hicks contractions. So, when Miguel got home, I gently broke the news to him. He seemed a little concerned but not really. He too, just thought they were the "fake" contractions. He asked me how the contractions fell on a pain scale of 1-10, and I said about 2 or 3. So, I kepted track of my contractions until about 3 a.m., when I fell asleep. I woke up early the next morning because I was very excited about my baby shower later that day.

Saturday August 1st-2nd: So, like I said. I woke up early (without an alarm) because I was very excited about my baby shower. I woke up, ate breakfast, showered, got dressed and waited for my Yaya's to arrive. During that whole time I had no contractions. It wasn't until we started driving to Adams I started having contractions, which was around 10 a.m. (On a side note, I spoke to my sister-in-law, explained to her what was going on and she too thought it was braxton hicks). So as soon as I felt the first contraction, I started timing. This concerned me a little bit, because I didn't know braxton hicks lasted a couple of days; this being day 2. I timed the contractions all the way to Adams, which was an hour and fifteen minutes away. Once at my brother & sister-in-law's house I stopped timing but paid close attention to the contractions all day. As the day progressed, the contractions got stronger, but I didn't tell anybody. I started paying more attention to the contractions when the shower was over because they felt even stronger. After the shower was over and a few of us were still hanging around the house, I decided to go to the bathroom. This may be a little TMI for some of you, but when I looked at my panties I noticed that there was a light brownish mucus discharge. The "plug" as they called it in lamaze class. This was around 6-6:30ish. By 6:30-6:45, my contractions were becoming more and more uncomfortable. At this point I told Miguel we needed to leave. So we left my dad's house around 7ish. As soon as I got in the truck and we started driving, I started timing my contractions. My contractions were about 6 to 7 minutes apart and were lasting about 30-40 seconds. Miguel asked me what the pain scale was and I said 5-6.

The drive home seemed long and fast all at the same time. So, as the hour and fifteen minutes past, the contractions got closer and closer together and lasting long. By the time we got to Chicopee, my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart and lasting 50-60 seconds. So we were pasted the 5-1-1 (contractions being 5 minutes apart for 1 minute long for 1 hour). So, Miguel and I decided that as soon as we got home, I would call the hospital and while I called he would unload the truck just incase they wanted us to come to the hospital, which they did. I called, explained to the midwife what I was feeling, how far apart the contractions were, the 'plug' situation and she asked that we come to the hospital.

Once at the hospital (around 8:30 p.m.), we registered and they brought us to a room. I put on a gown and they put two fetal monitors on me; one to monitor the baby's heart beat and the other to register/monitor the strength of my contractions. After explaining to the nurse and the midwife my contractions, which were in my lower stomach/pelvis area, they told me that it is most likely cramping from not drinking enough water during the hot summer day, but they wanted to keep me there to monitor me for a little while. Well, while there, my contractions were getting worse. So the midwife decided to do an internal exam. Well to our surprise, I was 3 centimeters dialated and 80% effaced. I looked at the nurse and said "WHAT!!!!!" and Miguel's jaw dropped to the floor. After it registered in his head he asked the midwife "This is it, we are going to have a baby?!?!?" She said yes, check to make see if she could feel the baby's head (and she could), then said that we were going to be admitted and moved to the birthing unit upstairs. By this time, Miguel has been making phone calls, had a mass text going, and 3 of the 4 Yaya's were sitting in the waiting room. Also, by the time we were moved upstairs, my contractions were so painful, I was squeezing Migule's hand hard and clenching the bed sheets hard also.

As soon as we were upstairs (around 10 p.m.), the LOVELY anesthesiologist gave me an epidural, and within seconds I was pain free! The anesthesiologist was my new bestfriend! Miguel and the nurses would watch the contractions on the monitor and ask if I felt anything and I said "nope" and they were surprised because looking at the monitor I guess they were severe contractions. So now we waited. My Yaya's hung out with us until about 1-1:30. Around 3ish my water broke. The midwife checked me around 5ish and I was 6-7 centimeters dialated 100% effaced. Miguel and I tried to sleep, but how can they expect you to sleep, seriously. Our friends and family showed up around 7-7:30 a.m. and hung out with us for a while. Later that morning around 8:30 the midwife checked me again and I was 10 centimeters. She explained to me that once I feel like I want to have a bowel movement then it is time to go. For about the next hour we hung out, joked and laughed with our friends. At about 9:15-9:20 I called the nurse and told her it was time! Our friend left, the midwife & nurses all came in with their equipment, the midwife told Miguel to grab a leg, and I started pushing at 9:30 a.m.

Sunday August 2nd: So the excitement began at 9:30. All our friends and family were standing right outside my door (a little awkward). So I am pushing and pushing. First thing I thought of was "This isn't too bad. It doesn't really hurt all that much!" It took me a little bit to get the hang of the whole pushing thing (if that makes scense). After about 45 minutes of pushing I was getting frustrated. I felt like I was not making any progress. I didn't really feel the baby moving. Miguel, the nurses and my midwife were all encouraging me, then I got it, and I new I did because my midwife got excited. So, I was pushing, pushing, pushing... All of a sudden my midwife says that the head was crowning. She said "I can see his hair." She told Miguel to look, he did but wasn't quite sure what he was seeing. He thought that she only did that to encourage me to push harder. Also, about 45 minutes in I was extremely hot, sweating REALLY bad and felt like I was going to pass out. So, Miguel and my midwife started putting very cold wash cloths on my forehead and chest, and boy did that feel GOOD! Also, every time I would push, I would get a sharp shooting pain across the left side of my chest, which made it a little more difficult to push because it was painful.

Okay, so an hour has past and I am thinking to myself "I'm not sure how much longer I can do this." It wasn't the pain that made me want to stop. It was me being extremely hot and the pain in my chest. Honestly, my contractions were more painful than labor pain (I'm sure the epidural had something to do with that :-) All of a sudden, I felt Syler's head pop out a little more and everyone started getting excited. I wasn't allowed to put my legs down, so that is another way I knew I was close. My midwife asked it I wanted to touch the head and I said "NO" (I felt bad about kind of yelling at her. I just wanted my baby out). The excitement in Miguel's voice when he was telling me to push and helping me breathing, made me push harder, and that is when I started grunting and screaming louder. Up to this point I was quiet. The NICU nurses started getting ready. My midwife started getting her things ready. After twenty more minutes of me pushing, Miguel coaching, and my midwife helping scretch my vagina, out came SYLER!!!!

He was wisked away to the NICU nurses. They did what they had to do; got him breathing with a little assistance, did his apgar scores, and wrapped him up. Miguel cried, paced back and forth between Syler and me, yelled to our friends and family in the hallway "IT'S A BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (you heard lots of cheering), and got to cut the ambilical cord. While Miguel was doing all that, I was patiently waiting for my placenta to be delivered, which took about nother 8-10 minutes. While I was waiting for that, I just watched Miguel, which was one of the best things. Seeing him so beyond excited was priceless. Then NICU nurses brought Syler over to me for a quick kiss and wisked him away to the NICU.

Syler is 1 month old!!!!!!!

One month ago today, Miguel and I officially became a mommy and daddy. The day that Syler was born was the absolutely best day of my life. I can not believe that Syler is a month old already. I must say it has been an amazing, amazing month that has gone by too fast.

When I think back to the day Syler arrive, I think back to the moment when I called the nurse and told her it was time and all our friends and family left the room. When they left I couldn't help but cry. The emotions I was feeling at that moment were overwhelming. I was happy, scare, nervous, excited, anxious, elated, terrified, and ready. I knew in just a little bit our baby was going to be born, and that moment he was born we both felt a love that we had never felt before; a love that cannot be explained. But, this love is beyond amazing. The moments after Syler was born are some of my absolute favorite moments. I layed there in the bed just watching Miguel pace back and forth between my bed and the open crib with Syler in it. The look on Miguel's face, tears in his eye, the smile just lit up the room and my heart. Those moments I will never forget. He was beyond happy and when he yelled to everyone in the hallway "IT'S A BOY!!!!!!!!!!" and they all cheered, it was priceless. The whole labor and delivery experience was so amazing and thee best day of my life. Now, Miguel and I look forward to careing, loving, teaching and guiding our little man.

Today, we can say that Syler weighs well over 7 lbs. We won't know for sure until we go to the doctors on 9/15, but he has been eating really well and you can tell in his pictures that he is chubbier. Syler is also a good sleeper. Granted there have been some moments where he has been fussy and not wanting to sleep, but over all he sleeps well. He loves to cuddle, and I LOVE having him lay on my chest and take naps together. I cherish every minute of that time we get to spend together. It strengthens our bond as mother and son and I love that. I also love it when Syler is wide awake and just wants to hang out. He makes such funny noises/faces and he is so active; swinging his arms and kicking his legs. Miguel and I like to say he is dancing. It is too cute! Syler loves to look in your eyes and just stare. We love that too. I never thought you can be so mesmerized by a baby's eyes. He is very ticklish on his feet, which he gets from me.

One thing that Syler is not too thrilled about it taking a bath. He seems to not like it very much, and tends to scream the whole time. I am hoping that his dislike for baths quickly fades. I'm hoping it fades when we are able to use the baby bath tub and he will be able to sit in warm water instead of laying on a towel during bath time. He is also not a very happy camper, most of the time, when he is getting his diaper changed or we are clothing him. Since he has been home, we have seen the Occupational Therapist once and the Neurologist once. Both were extremely impressed with the amount of improvement Syler has made with his left arm since leaving the CCN unit, and feel that he will definitely make a full recovery and surgery will not be needed. We will continue doing his arm exercises for a little while yet. We have one more visit with each person and then it's see ya later alligators.

What I have learned from the whole experience so far. Well, while Syler was in the NICU/CCN unit for 11 days, I learned that I am a much stronger person than I thought I was, and that Miguel and I are a very strong/supportive team. This whole process, I believe, has made us a stronger couple and has brought us closer together. Having Miguel by my side made the whole process much easier. His support, love, and strength did not go unnoticed and I admire and love him more than I ever did.

I've learned that I can function pretty well on VERY little sleep, and that I don't mind getting up at all hours of the night or pumping every 3-4 hours each day (even though it hurts). I love him and I will do anything for him.

I look forward to watching Syler grow and learn. I look forward to Syler discovering things for the first time or eating something sour and making a sour face. I look forward to Miguel and I teaching all the things we know. I just look forward to all the things that come with having a child; good or bad.

Lastly, I'd like to say THANK YOU to all our friends and family that offered us overwhelming support, love, strength, prayers, and for going beyond the regular duties of friendship to help us out. We appreciate you and love you.