Wow, it's been 8 weeks since Ethan blessed our lives! It's hard to believe he's 2 months old already, I still think he's my little newborn - I picture him still 7lbs although he's beefed up to 11lbs 4 ozs!
Our homecoming was a fairly easy transition, Ethan sleeps well and had a fairly happy demeanor. He loved being held, it didn't really matter who was holding him. We had some issues with breast feeding, and they became VERY apparent when he had his 3 week growth spurt. The guy was eating all day, or at least he appeared to be, and he was never satiated. I thought I didn't have enough milk to feed the poor guy, so I made an appointment at the Newman Breastfeeding Clinic.
Our appointment there was anything but uneventful. We found out that he was tongue tied, and wasn't eating properly from day 1. My heart broke, but at least there was a solution - free the tongue tie. Dr. Newman informed me that it was a small procedure, a simple snip of the skin under Ethan's tongue, no more than a few drops of blood. Although I knew it was for the best, it was incredibly heart wrenching to watch Ethan scream as they held him down, and cry as they snipped his tongue. But, I put him to breast as soon as the procedure was over, and was able to soothe him. I think I was more shaken up than he was, and understand now how a parent would give their life to protect their child from pain.'
Since the procedure, Ethan's been eating like a charm! He's gained a half a pound a week! He had a slight cold the other day, but is recovering nicely. He has his fussy moments, and likes to be held more than in his chair - but who can blame him???
We're using our cloth diapers, like no one believed I'd be able to do - and I love it! They're so soft on his bum, and wash up really well!
He's had his 2 month needles, got them today :( He cried a bit, and again, it broke my heart - but he quickly recovered. He's such an amazing little guy!
He's smiling now, a lot! he giggles at his bears, and at the blinking lights on his bouncy chair. He looks for Rob when the front door alarm beeps, because he know's daddy's home! Everyday, he gets more and more beautiful - and he changes with every passing second.
I hope to be able to keep you updated, but he's up and hungry again!
Monday, June 01, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Welcome Ethan Alexander Bolzicco!
Sorry for the delay in posting! I've had my hands full with the most perfect little man on the planet :)
Ethan Alexander Bolzicco was born April 5th, 2009 at 5:30pm... here's the story :)
My water broke on the 4th at around 7pm, I wasn't sure if it was my water though, since it was more of a trickle, instead of a gush. So Rob and I took our time getting our things together, packed up the car and headed to my dads for a bit. Once we were in the car, it was obvious it was my water, I felt like I was peeing in the car, it was awful!!
We stopped at my dads, everyone was super excited - the baby was on the way! From there, we went to Jacob's place, Rob was supposed to go for a couple beers anyways, and we thought it would be cool to share the news. My contractions hadn't started at this point.
By 11 or so, I had started getting little pains, and the hospital told us it was time to come in - so we headed to Newmarket. We were admitted and told to try and get some rest, as we had a big day ahead of us! The next morning, we woke up and I had no pains at all - labour had stopped. I was dreading this, I knew the next step was pitocin, and I so badly wanted to try and do this natural. Sure enough, after 14 hours of no labour, they hooked me up to an IV and started the drip. At this point, my sisters and mom had showed up, and we were waiting in the room for the party to get started.
Everything at this point was a bit of a blur - I remember my sister telling me the TOCO reading was 'a doozy' or some other rendition (that measured my contractions)... and the next thing I remember, I was lying on my side - I honestly didn't think I could make it any farther. My contractions were about 2 min apart or so, lasting about a minute each! I HAD to be 8 or 9 cm at this point!!! But when I was checked, I was only 4, 1cm more dilated than when I was checked before the pitocin - and it had been 5 hrs!!!
So, with tears in my eyes, I told Rob I couldn't do it any more, I needed the epidural. I felt completely deflated, like I had somehow failed. The pitocin had me strapped to the bed with an IV and fetal monitoring, so I couldn't try ANY of the pain relief methods I had wanted to try. Rob was wonderful though, he was so supportive and helped me try and get comfortable.
After the epidural, it was a whole new ball game. I was able to get comfortable, rest a bit and let my body do what it needed to do. Within 2 hours, I was fully dilated, and the baby was coming down the birth canal. I felt insane pressure, so I knew it was time to push! The Dr. was in the OR though so I was asked to wait!
When it was time, I had Shannon, Madison and Rob in the room, Rob held my leg while I pushed, and within 10 minutes, my little angel was out! Rob was in such shock that the Dr had to ask him what the sex was - and with a look of astonishment, Rob announced "It's a Boy!". He cut the cord, and Ethan was placed on my stomach, where he quieted down, and I proceeded to cry like a baby! It was the most emotional experience of my life, and you could see in Rob's eyes that he felt the same way.
Our beautiful angel weighed 7lbs 14oz and was 20 inches long. He had a FULL head of hair, and the most beautiful pouty lips! It took a while for me to accept that he was a HE, since both Rob and I were convinced we were having a girl!
Rob went out to make the announcement to our family in the waiting room, and then they all came in to see us. Our first beautiful baby, my parents first grandbaby - and the first boy on my side!
Ethan had a touch of jaundice, but is doing wonderfully now. He's taken to breastfeeding like a champ (a boob man, like his dad lol), and has the calmest personality. He doesn't like having his diaper changed, because his bum gets cold. He loves the bath, except the getting out part!
All in all, we're doing wonderfully!
Hopefully I can get back on and update as things change, because he's growing and changing by the minute!!
Ethan Alexander Bolzicco was born April 5th, 2009 at 5:30pm... here's the story :)
My water broke on the 4th at around 7pm, I wasn't sure if it was my water though, since it was more of a trickle, instead of a gush. So Rob and I took our time getting our things together, packed up the car and headed to my dads for a bit. Once we were in the car, it was obvious it was my water, I felt like I was peeing in the car, it was awful!!
We stopped at my dads, everyone was super excited - the baby was on the way! From there, we went to Jacob's place, Rob was supposed to go for a couple beers anyways, and we thought it would be cool to share the news. My contractions hadn't started at this point.
By 11 or so, I had started getting little pains, and the hospital told us it was time to come in - so we headed to Newmarket. We were admitted and told to try and get some rest, as we had a big day ahead of us! The next morning, we woke up and I had no pains at all - labour had stopped. I was dreading this, I knew the next step was pitocin, and I so badly wanted to try and do this natural. Sure enough, after 14 hours of no labour, they hooked me up to an IV and started the drip. At this point, my sisters and mom had showed up, and we were waiting in the room for the party to get started.
Everything at this point was a bit of a blur - I remember my sister telling me the TOCO reading was 'a doozy' or some other rendition (that measured my contractions)... and the next thing I remember, I was lying on my side - I honestly didn't think I could make it any farther. My contractions were about 2 min apart or so, lasting about a minute each! I HAD to be 8 or 9 cm at this point!!! But when I was checked, I was only 4, 1cm more dilated than when I was checked before the pitocin - and it had been 5 hrs!!!
So, with tears in my eyes, I told Rob I couldn't do it any more, I needed the epidural. I felt completely deflated, like I had somehow failed. The pitocin had me strapped to the bed with an IV and fetal monitoring, so I couldn't try ANY of the pain relief methods I had wanted to try. Rob was wonderful though, he was so supportive and helped me try and get comfortable.
After the epidural, it was a whole new ball game. I was able to get comfortable, rest a bit and let my body do what it needed to do. Within 2 hours, I was fully dilated, and the baby was coming down the birth canal. I felt insane pressure, so I knew it was time to push! The Dr. was in the OR though so I was asked to wait!
When it was time, I had Shannon, Madison and Rob in the room, Rob held my leg while I pushed, and within 10 minutes, my little angel was out! Rob was in such shock that the Dr had to ask him what the sex was - and with a look of astonishment, Rob announced "It's a Boy!". He cut the cord, and Ethan was placed on my stomach, where he quieted down, and I proceeded to cry like a baby! It was the most emotional experience of my life, and you could see in Rob's eyes that he felt the same way.
Our beautiful angel weighed 7lbs 14oz and was 20 inches long. He had a FULL head of hair, and the most beautiful pouty lips! It took a while for me to accept that he was a HE, since both Rob and I were convinced we were having a girl!
Rob went out to make the announcement to our family in the waiting room, and then they all came in to see us. Our first beautiful baby, my parents first grandbaby - and the first boy on my side!
Ethan had a touch of jaundice, but is doing wonderfully now. He's taken to breastfeeding like a champ (a boob man, like his dad lol), and has the calmest personality. He doesn't like having his diaper changed, because his bum gets cold. He loves the bath, except the getting out part!
All in all, we're doing wonderfully!
Hopefully I can get back on and update as things change, because he's growing and changing by the minute!!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
37 weeks... full term!
The baby weighs close to 6.5lbs and may be about 20 inches in length from head to toe. At this point, the baby's head is cradled in my pelvic cavity, surrounded and protected by my pelvic bones. This position makes some much needed space for it's growing legs and bum!
Many babies have a full head of hair at this point, some locks even measure around 1 inch in length. Don't be surprised if the baby's hair is a different colour than yours, dark haired couples are often taken aback when their children are born with bright red or blond hair, and fair haired couples can likewise produce babies with dark hair. And of course, some babies are born with no hair at all.
Speaking of hair, most of the downy coat of lanugo that covered the baby from 26 weeks has disappeared, and so has much of the vernix - the whitish substance that covered the baby. The baby will swallow this as well as the other secretions and store them in her bowels. This will become the baby's first bowel movement, a blackish waste called meconium.
So, at my 37 week appointment, the doctor did an internal exam. Wouldn't you know it, I'm 1cm dilated!!! The baby is head down and pushing against my cervix still. So, she suggested we do a stretch and sweep. Basically, the doctor stretches open my cervix, and sweeps under the bag of water. This is intended to get things going, if the baby is ready.... so we'll have to see how things go. I know that I could stay 1cm dilated for weeks, but I'm really crossing my fingers that I'll be holding my beautiful little baby soon!
Many babies have a full head of hair at this point, some locks even measure around 1 inch in length. Don't be surprised if the baby's hair is a different colour than yours, dark haired couples are often taken aback when their children are born with bright red or blond hair, and fair haired couples can likewise produce babies with dark hair. And of course, some babies are born with no hair at all.
Speaking of hair, most of the downy coat of lanugo that covered the baby from 26 weeks has disappeared, and so has much of the vernix - the whitish substance that covered the baby. The baby will swallow this as well as the other secretions and store them in her bowels. This will become the baby's first bowel movement, a blackish waste called meconium.
So, at my 37 week appointment, the doctor did an internal exam. Wouldn't you know it, I'm 1cm dilated!!! The baby is head down and pushing against my cervix still. So, she suggested we do a stretch and sweep. Basically, the doctor stretches open my cervix, and sweeps under the bag of water. This is intended to get things going, if the baby is ready.... so we'll have to see how things go. I know that I could stay 1cm dilated for weeks, but I'm really crossing my fingers that I'll be holding my beautiful little baby soon!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Showers of Joy, for the little girl or boy!
Shannon did it... she surprised me :)
I knew she was planning a shower, and I knew it was at my house - but the date was forever escaping me. When I came home yesterday from visiting Rob's family, sure enough the street was filled with cars of people we knew, there were balloons on the porch and my house was full of smiling faces!
It was a wonderful, fun day and I couldn't have asked for anything more from Shannon. She did a wonderful job planning, organizing and pulling it off. There were about 40 ladies in attendance, endless amounts of food (Thank you to the people that helped with the food).
And, no... I'm NOT 6 ft around!!! One of Shannon's games was to take some ribbon streamers and guess how big my belly is! We had a couple of close calls, but there were some WAY out there ones too! Shannon bought something like 450ft of streamer, because she figured I was about 6ft around, and she didn't want to run out! Sorry to disappoint you all! :):)
Anyways, the little bean got so many wonderful gifts, and we were completely spoiled by all our friends and family, as usual. Now, we just have to wait for the bean to arrive, and I'm hoping it's any day now!
I knew she was planning a shower, and I knew it was at my house - but the date was forever escaping me. When I came home yesterday from visiting Rob's family, sure enough the street was filled with cars of people we knew, there were balloons on the porch and my house was full of smiling faces!
It was a wonderful, fun day and I couldn't have asked for anything more from Shannon. She did a wonderful job planning, organizing and pulling it off. There were about 40 ladies in attendance, endless amounts of food (Thank you to the people that helped with the food).
And, no... I'm NOT 6 ft around!!! One of Shannon's games was to take some ribbon streamers and guess how big my belly is! We had a couple of close calls, but there were some WAY out there ones too! Shannon bought something like 450ft of streamer, because she figured I was about 6ft around, and she didn't want to run out! Sorry to disappoint you all! :):)
Anyways, the little bean got so many wonderful gifts, and we were completely spoiled by all our friends and family, as usual. Now, we just have to wait for the bean to arrive, and I'm hoping it's any day now!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
36 Weeks
The baby is still gaining weight, about an ounce a day - now at about 6lbs. The baby is measuring about 19 inches from head to toe. At this point, there is an increased pressure in the lower abdomen, this is called lightening or engagement, where the baby drops toward the cervix. This gives me a little more breathing room, but walking will become more difficult.
The good news is that by the end of this week, the pregnancy is considered full term, and I could give birth any day now! Babies are considered full term between 37 and 42 weeks, before 37 is premature and after 42 is post-term. At the weekly doctors appointment, the doctor may check for dilation (when the cervix opens) and effacing (when the cervix thins). The baby's position will also be checked, to estimate how far teh baby has dropped into the pelvis.
I had my OB appointment today, the last of the 2 week appointments, I'm in every week now :) We did my swab for Group B Strep and I'll get those results before my next appointment. Group B Strep (or GBS) is a bacteria that about 30% of women carry. It poses no risk to the mother, but there's a risk of infection to the baby. So, should the results come back positive, they recommend antibiotics after the water breaks.
Aside from that, we also did a surprise internal exam, the baby is head down and firmly pressing against my cervix. Hopefully, this means that I'll go into labour sooner rather than later (after all, I'm full term at the end of the week!) A couple people said it looked like I dropped, but personally, I think the baby is getting higher! It may just be a tall baby stretching out...
Anyways, we're on our way!
The good news is that by the end of this week, the pregnancy is considered full term, and I could give birth any day now! Babies are considered full term between 37 and 42 weeks, before 37 is premature and after 42 is post-term. At the weekly doctors appointment, the doctor may check for dilation (when the cervix opens) and effacing (when the cervix thins). The baby's position will also be checked, to estimate how far teh baby has dropped into the pelvis.
I had my OB appointment today, the last of the 2 week appointments, I'm in every week now :) We did my swab for Group B Strep and I'll get those results before my next appointment. Group B Strep (or GBS) is a bacteria that about 30% of women carry. It poses no risk to the mother, but there's a risk of infection to the baby. So, should the results come back positive, they recommend antibiotics after the water breaks.
Aside from that, we also did a surprise internal exam, the baby is head down and firmly pressing against my cervix. Hopefully, this means that I'll go into labour sooner rather than later (after all, I'm full term at the end of the week!) A couple people said it looked like I dropped, but personally, I think the baby is getting higher! It may just be a tall baby stretching out...
Anyways, we're on our way!
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