Gunnar got to spend lots of time with Grandma and Grandpa Lindhjem in the past couple of weeks. They came to visit just after Grandpa Jay got out of the hospital and was feeling better. And he definitely is feeling better - I thought he was going to fight Gunnar for his bottle when we ran out of ice cream! They were a huge help, letting Mom catch up on some sleep. They went back home on a Wednesday and called to check in a few days later - they asked when they could see us again, and I did not hesitate. We're still figuring out the whole day/night thing (babies may inherently know how to suck down milk, but God forgot to teach them that nighttime is for sleeping!!). So, I instantly asked if they were ready to come back... like... now! So the next day, we got to see Grandma and Grandpa again! Gunnar was happy to see them, and Mom got to reintroduce herself to her long lost pillow. What a great reunion! I think we're back on our feet now (thank you Grandma & Grandpa!!), and next week we're off to see Patty and Rooty in Richmond.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
Milk. It does a body good!
Here's a picture of Gunnar right after a meal. He really likes his milk, and it shows! He was born weighing 9 lbs 8 oz, and when we left the hospital 2 days later, he had dropped to 8 lbs 15 oz. But then 2 days after that, he weighed in at the doctor's office at 9 lbs 6 oz, which was pretty good since all they look for is that a baby gets back to his birth weight by day 10. And then, at his 2 week checkup, he was up to 10 lbs 4 oz! In Erik's words, what I may have lacked in pelvis size to get this baby out, I have made up for in milk jugs! Milk does a body good.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Gunnar's 1st Week
Welcome home, Gunnar!
Here are some photos from our 1st week at home. Our camera is getting quite the workout!!
Here are some photos from our 1st week at home. Our camera is getting quite the workout!!
New pics - at the hospital
I am finally starting to see through the fog of new motherhood (though my eyes still seem to get a bit teary and hazy when I stare into Gunnar's oh so handsome face!) and have rejoined the land of the living. Aunt Crazy came to visit last week and took us on our 1st mall excursion, and Grandma and Grandpa Lindhjem are finally getting to spend time with the little guy this week. Thank goodness Grandpa is feeling better! Gunnar is doing wonderfully, and now I have a minute to share some more photos with you.
Gunnar was born in the afternoon on Monday, July 21st, and we stayed in the hospital until that Wednesday. Our hospital is a big advocate of keeping mom and baby together, so I think during our entire stay, we only got separated for a total of 1 hour. Though the little sleep that we did get was quite paranoid (I woke up at every squeak and whimper), I wouldn't have had it any other way. And we got lots of visitors. Patty, Rooty, Aunt Crazy, and the entire Hamilton family got to hang out with us. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to the Hamiltons on Tuesday, as they needed to get back to Virginia to prepare for their big move to Colorado. Check out their blog - The Hamilton Adventures (link in the left column) - to see what they're up to!
Enjoy these pictures of our stay in the hospital...
Gunnar was born in the afternoon on Monday, July 21st, and we stayed in the hospital until that Wednesday. Our hospital is a big advocate of keeping mom and baby together, so I think during our entire stay, we only got separated for a total of 1 hour. Though the little sleep that we did get was quite paranoid (I woke up at every squeak and whimper), I wouldn't have had it any other way. And we got lots of visitors. Patty, Rooty, Aunt Crazy, and the entire Hamilton family got to hang out with us. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to the Hamiltons on Tuesday, as they needed to get back to Virginia to prepare for their big move to Colorado. Check out their blog - The Hamilton Adventures (link in the left column) - to see what they're up to!
Enjoy these pictures of our stay in the hospital...
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
I've got what?!!!
I was hoping to be back in the land of the living by now and have been anxious to catch up with all of you, but my body apparently has different plans. I've been recovering from the surgery almost perfectly, but according to this full-body rash that has taken me over (and brought out all of those tears I was able to contain during most of my pregnancy), my body did not agree with my son's DNA. (kind of ironic isn't it - didn't I have something to do with making that DNA?!!) Anyway, I have this nasty thing called PUPPPs. It stands for a very long medical name, with the 1st word meaning "itchy." And that's no joke. Basically, it's the new mom's version of the chicken pox x10. But I am now on steroids, so not only am I on a speedy road to recovery, but my son is going to triple in size by next week (but hopefully his chest hairs will wait a few more months before growing in). I appreciate everyone's patience with my backlogged blog (I've got so many pictures I am dying to share!) and my lack of phone calls. We can't wait to catch up soon!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
The Birth
So much to catch up on! I'm sorry it has taken us so long - as anyone who's been through this before knows, times flies by with a newborn! Because I don't want to forget how it all happened and some of you are wondering, I'll describe the birth in some detail, and so if you are a bit sqeemish, you might want to skip this part. Here's where it all started...
We went into the hospital Sunday at 3pm to start the induction. They hooked me up on a fetal monitor and saw that I was already having contractions! I guess I mistook them for being the baby moving around. They weren't exactly regular, but what a relief to know that I was actually making progress. Then I got the Cervadyl, which is supposed to get me ready to dilate, and Erik and I tucked in for what we thought was going to be a calm night. After about 1 hour of sleep, my contractions really started to pick up and become regular - about 4-6 minutes apart - and I definitely felt those! However, I didn't feel much in my belly - it was all in my back. So, Erik didn't get much sleep that night either, as he was a very diligent back rubber. Around 7am, the doctor came in to check on me, and I was finally 1 whole centimeter dilated! (hint a bit of sarcasm here) Anyway, he broke my water, hoping that that would progress things, and they started me on pitocin, which is supposed to increase the severity of the contractions to help with dilation. That's when I took Lamaze breathing to a whole new level! There were not enough "shhssh shhssh heee heee's" in me to keep my head from spinning, so I quickly started screaming out for the epidural. The epidural man is my new best friend!!
I soon got to the point where the contractions were heating up, but thanks to my new BFF, I just felt a little pressure. We were excited to see our progress, but my body just wouldn't cooperate. We tried to up the pitocin a couple of times to convince this baby to start its journey, but instead, the baby's heartrate would start to drop. So we backed off the drugs, and by 1pm, I was only 2cm dilated. It was time to talk c-section. As soon as the good doc said it was time, Erik and I quickly agreed there was no sense in putting our baby through unnecessary stress, and we said the magic word.
Apparently saying the word "c-section" is the key to getting every hospital employee to run to your attention. On top of the nurses, doctors, and techs, I wouldn't be surprised if the janitor and lunchlady also made appearances. It was a whirlwind. My ER episode officially began, and I started calling Erik my George Clooney. Within 20 minutes, we were prepped and wheeled down the hall to the OR. I had about 5 seconds to cry and freak out, and the next thing I knew, my BFF (remember that epidural guy?!!), was poking at me to make sure I was numb. I told him, yes, I was quite tingle-ly, but I could still feel him poking at me. He said that was normal - I should be able to feel the pressure, just no pain. WHAT?!!! No one ever told me about this. I thought I was supposed to feel nothing. It was time to start Lamaze breathing again - not to get through contractions, but to get through my freaking out! Dr. Brandner started the procedure, and unless you've been through it, I'm not sure my description will do it justice. But I felt an enormous relief of pressure when he pulled the baby out, followed by the strangest feeling of someone's hands vigorously "massaging" my guts back into place. The doctor did explain that he would be "massaging" my uterus to help it to contract back down (something that would happen more naturally with a vaginal delivery). But if I didn't know any better, I would have thought the doc was trying to knead a loaf of bread in my belly! At the same time, Erik and the nurses were all describing what was going on with the baby - apparently he peed all over the nurses - the plumbing works! Gunnar let out a few cries, and I was an emotional mess. Unfortuantely my temperature dropped, leaving me shaking and scared to try to hold my baby, but they braced him in bed with me so we could travel the halls together back to our room.
As I worked on warming up, Erik got to hold Gunnar "skin-to-skin" - the bonding process that's encouraged just after birth - and Gunnar was sucking his hand so loudly that the nurses outside our room could hear it! At first, we thought Gunnar was giving his dad a huge hickey, but apparently he was giving himself one.
It was official - Erik and I were now the proud parents of an amazing baby boy.
We went into the hospital Sunday at 3pm to start the induction. They hooked me up on a fetal monitor and saw that I was already having contractions! I guess I mistook them for being the baby moving around. They weren't exactly regular, but what a relief to know that I was actually making progress. Then I got the Cervadyl, which is supposed to get me ready to dilate, and Erik and I tucked in for what we thought was going to be a calm night. After about 1 hour of sleep, my contractions really started to pick up and become regular - about 4-6 minutes apart - and I definitely felt those! However, I didn't feel much in my belly - it was all in my back. So, Erik didn't get much sleep that night either, as he was a very diligent back rubber. Around 7am, the doctor came in to check on me, and I was finally 1 whole centimeter dilated! (hint a bit of sarcasm here) Anyway, he broke my water, hoping that that would progress things, and they started me on pitocin, which is supposed to increase the severity of the contractions to help with dilation. That's when I took Lamaze breathing to a whole new level! There were not enough "shhssh shhssh heee heee's" in me to keep my head from spinning, so I quickly started screaming out for the epidural. The epidural man is my new best friend!!
I soon got to the point where the contractions were heating up, but thanks to my new BFF, I just felt a little pressure. We were excited to see our progress, but my body just wouldn't cooperate. We tried to up the pitocin a couple of times to convince this baby to start its journey, but instead, the baby's heartrate would start to drop. So we backed off the drugs, and by 1pm, I was only 2cm dilated. It was time to talk c-section. As soon as the good doc said it was time, Erik and I quickly agreed there was no sense in putting our baby through unnecessary stress, and we said the magic word.
Apparently saying the word "c-section" is the key to getting every hospital employee to run to your attention. On top of the nurses, doctors, and techs, I wouldn't be surprised if the janitor and lunchlady also made appearances. It was a whirlwind. My ER episode officially began, and I started calling Erik my George Clooney. Within 20 minutes, we were prepped and wheeled down the hall to the OR. I had about 5 seconds to cry and freak out, and the next thing I knew, my BFF (remember that epidural guy?!!), was poking at me to make sure I was numb. I told him, yes, I was quite tingle-ly, but I could still feel him poking at me. He said that was normal - I should be able to feel the pressure, just no pain. WHAT?!!! No one ever told me about this. I thought I was supposed to feel nothing. It was time to start Lamaze breathing again - not to get through contractions, but to get through my freaking out! Dr. Brandner started the procedure, and unless you've been through it, I'm not sure my description will do it justice. But I felt an enormous relief of pressure when he pulled the baby out, followed by the strangest feeling of someone's hands vigorously "massaging" my guts back into place. The doctor did explain that he would be "massaging" my uterus to help it to contract back down (something that would happen more naturally with a vaginal delivery). But if I didn't know any better, I would have thought the doc was trying to knead a loaf of bread in my belly! At the same time, Erik and the nurses were all describing what was going on with the baby - apparently he peed all over the nurses - the plumbing works! Gunnar let out a few cries, and I was an emotional mess. Unfortuantely my temperature dropped, leaving me shaking and scared to try to hold my baby, but they braced him in bed with me so we could travel the halls together back to our room.
As I worked on warming up, Erik got to hold Gunnar "skin-to-skin" - the bonding process that's encouraged just after birth - and Gunnar was sucking his hand so loudly that the nurses outside our room could hear it! At first, we thought Gunnar was giving his dad a huge hickey, but apparently he was giving himself one.
It was official - Erik and I were now the proud parents of an amazing baby boy.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Henry Gunnar Lindhjem
Happy Birthday, Gunnar!
We welcomed Henry "Gunnar" Lindhjem on Monday, July 21st at 1:55pm. He weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs. 8 oz. and 22 1/2". He will be starting kindergarten next week.
Actually, we are still getting our parenting feet wet at the hospital and will get to go home tomorrow or Thursday. Everyone is doing great! Enjoy these photos, and we will fill you in on more details when the dust settles. Thank you for all of your support and well wishes!
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