Finally a new post!

We joyfully introduce...

GRIFFIN ALLEN HOELSCHER

8/23/2012 @ 9:50a.m.

7 pounds, 7 ounces; 21.5 inches

 

Griffin arrived via the scheduled c-section. Sorry for the extremely delayed post for those of you who don't have any other connection with us - we've been a little busy lately ;) I started this post several weeks ago and just never got around to actually finishing it.

 

You can check out a 1 minute slide show of Griffin's "virtual baby announcement" at http://video214.com/play/sN1hSXBPWZ3xJU7CAxSQ0w/s/dark Special thanks to First Day Photo and Abbott Northwestern Hospital for the free photo session and virtual announcement.

 

Here are some additional photos:

Soooooo wonderful to be able to hold a healthy baby right away :)



Brecken enthusiastically said, "He has ears!" :)



Waiting to go home



Getting ready to leave - both boys weighed exactly 7 pounds at discharge
 (Brecken was just 2 1/2 months old at his discharge ;)



We stopped to pick-up big brother and are ready to head HOME as a family of 4 :)
(Brecken was very excited about helping to carry Griffiin)

Now for the details...

Many of you probably can skip reading the details of Griffin's arrival and our adjustment to life with 2 kids... Sometimes I write things on  the blog realizing full-well that many people probably don't really need all of these details; however, I record all of these memories for us to look back on and remember.

 

The first part of the c-section went very well. The surgery was scheduled for 9:30, and I was in the Operating Room a few minutes early. Griffin arrived at 9:50, and I was able to see him up close before he and Daddy went to the nursery. Shortly after they left, I suddenly started feeling quite nauseous. I reported that to the nurse anesthetist, and from there I continued to get worse and eventually started vomiting on the operating table in the middle of abdominal surgery! Apparently the anesthesiologist doctor had left the OR, and they had to track him down so that I could get some meds to help the nausea...but meanwhile I continued to vomit and vomited through much of the rest of the surgery (again all while lying flat on my back in the middle of abdominal surgery!) How they were still able to  perform the surgery, I'm not quite sure! I finally got some meds and was just starting to finally not feel so nauseous when they had finished the c-section and STAPLED my incision shut. I guess some doctors prefer stitches, while others prefer staples. The sound of the stapler (it sounded like a big old construction stapler!) made me nauseous again and I was so ready to be done! However, at that point they still had to remove my cerclage (stitch). With this additional component, the surgery took longer than a usual c-section so I was starting to feel fairly significant pain around my incision while they did the cerclage removal because the spinal block was beginning to wear off some. Ok, I think that's enough surgery details ;) It's amazing how none of this seems to matter once you hold that precious baby in your arms :) I should also say that even though I was disappointed to have to need a c-section, I was very thankful that I didn't have to go through hours of labor and then end up having a c-section!

The first few days of recovery were pretty rough...On day 3, I finally took everyone's advice and started taking 1/2 doses of the "real" pain meds. Up until that point I had only been taking Tylenol/Motrin. It was getting to be such a chore to get out of bed and walk to the bathroom, that I decided I better take something stronger. The nurses kept telling me that it is better to take some pain meds and move around than to skip pain meds and just sit in bed all the time. (Many people I know that have gone through c-sections had also told me that walking around helps you heal a lot faster.)

Once I got home, the recovery was still quite rough for a few days. I quickly realized on night one that getting in and out of bed multiple times a night for feedings was just NOT going to happen because it hurt WAY too much, so I ended up sleeping in that lovely recliner that I spent so much quality time with during my 2 months of bedrest. I could get in and out of the recliner easier and with less pain than I could the bed. The worst part about having a c-section was that I really couldn't play with Brecken much for the first week or so afterwards. I obviously couldn't get down on the floor with him or make it down the stairs to play in his toy room. This was really hard because I had been out of commission so long with bedrest, then I was back for a few weeks, and then out of commission once again after the c-section. I felt so bad for Brecken. I was busy taking care of Griffin much of the time anyway, but it would've been nice to do something special with Brecken whenever I did have the chance. After the first week or two though, I quickly made huge improvements and didn't really have any pain at all.

Here are a few quotes from Brecken during the first week Griffin was home:
Griffin was in his baby swing the first evening we were home, and Brecken asked, "Can I give him an underdog?" Thankfully he ASKED first!!!

Brecken has been going to daycare part-time to hold his spot, and when he got home one of the first days, he asked, "How come he's still here?" I'm not sure if he thought Griffin wasn't with us for good, or if he was just wondering why Griffin didn't go to daycare with him.

One day Brecken woke up from his nap, sat up in bed and asked, "Is baby brother bigger now?" Yup Brecken, while you were napping, Griffin turned into a 2-year-old ;)

The first 3 weeks or so after Griffin's arrival, we were on cloud nine as we were just so thrilled to all be at home together instead of having a baby in the NICU! Everything really seemed sooooo much easier than it was when Brecken came home from the hospital, as we didn't have a heart monitor, didn't have to mix all of the milk with fortifier, and we didn't have endless dr appointments to go to.  But then....Griffin's acid reflux started :( We've had a few rough weeks with the reflux because he spits up all the time and starts fussing (and often screaming!) mid-way through most feedings. The reflux also causes him to make all of these loud throat noises that keep me awake even when it's not feeding time. We've moved him to his own room across the hall and don't use the baby monitor, but we still hear him loud and clear. I think for over 2 weeks straight I didn't sleep at all from about 2a.m.-6a.m.! Then I would sometimes catch an hour or two of sleep before DJ had to leave for work.

After we had the reflux almost under control, Brecken came down with a cold which we later found out was strep throat (even though he once again didn't have a fever.)  The only reason I even took him to the dr that Monday was because he eventually said that his throat hurt. Throughout that week Griffin seemed rather uncomfortable because he was really squirmy and had even more loud grunts despite the fact that he was asleep. However, this wasn't really anything new at all, so I just figured it was his acid reflux acting up...BUT I took him into the doctor that Friday to find out that he also had strep throat AND an ear infection at just 8-weeks old! The dr had told me Monday when I was there with Brecken that for Griffin I should watch for a fever or not eating in case he would catch the strep throat. Well he didn't have either one of those symptoms...apparently I have very asymptomatic children! This is very nice in some ways, but it's also very frustrating because I never know when they're really sick. The following Tuesday though is when Griffin suddenly started almost refusing to eat. I wasn't sure if the antibiotics weren't working for him, or if something else was wrong. I took him to the doctor again, and she thinks he was just overdue for a dose increase for his acid reflux med since he has grown so much since we started it. Today he seems to be eating pretty good, but there is a whole lot of screaming with each feeding :( She said it could take a few days for the increase to fully take affect, so hopefully he rounds the corner soon.

Ok, enough rambling, despite the fact that the last month has been pretty hectic, I feel truly blessed to have these two incredible boys and a husband that helps out a lot! It is so much fun watching Brecken interact with his brother. You can tell that Brecken truly adores him and can't wait for him to get bigger so they can play together (and only has a few moments of jealousy...usually during feeding times.) Griffin has also just recently started to coo and smile which is lots of fun, too!

I still hope to post soon about Brecken's 3rd birthday and his excellent check-up at Children's, as well as post Griffin's 1-month stats and some more pictures. Hopefully it won't be over 2 months before the next post again!