Recovering. . .

Well, it's me, Jennifer. Jonathan is 8 days old and is the best baby any mother could ask for. This is his schedule: he eats, is awake for 10-15 minutes, falls asleep and then sleeps until his next feeding. The only time he cries is when we need him to wake up to eat. Eating is really the only problem we are having with him. He is not gaining weight like Dr. Mike (his pediatrician) would like him to, so I am having to supplement with formula a little bit. It's disappointing--I wasn't sure before Jonathan was born if I would nurse or not, and things went well in the hospital, so I was excited and thought things would be different. Don't they say, "Every pregnancy is different.?" Well, I am having deja vu--things are going just like they did with Raegan. I just don't produce enough milk or it's just too hard to get out. He falls asleep every time I nurse him, and that is one of the "warning signs" that something is wrong, according to the instructions I got from the hospital. Pumping does no good. If I pump, then there isn't anything for him at the next feeding and he ends up eating more formula. The plan is to nurse as much as I can until the milk runs out. Wish me luck!
As far as the c-section goes, I am healing pretty well. I did get a urinary tract infection, and that was painful. I got dressed today, did my hair and actually had to put on make-up because my nice pregnancy mask/tan is gone. My incision is doing great--I am down to two ibuprofen every six hours. My dr. did a great job--how thankful I am to have had such a great dr. Having a c-section was not my favorite experience. There is nothing like looking up into the reflection of the lights and seeing a HUGE hole in your body--TRAUMATIC! That trauma combined with post-partum hormones does not make for happy time, but this too, shall pass. :)
I had such a WONDERFUL nurse--thank you, Brooke. I really don't think I would have handled the c-section as well if she weren't there. She was there in pre-op, during the operation and afterward. She did an awesome job on my iv--I never felt it. What a blessing to have such a talented professional to attend to my needs and be there for me!
My neighbors, friends, family and ward members have been so supportive. We have eaten like pigs, and it is MUCH APPRECIATED. Poor Blake, here he is trying to lose weight and we are getting these DELICIOUS meals catered every night. Speaking of losing weight, I must say I put on a normal shirt today and it felt GREAT. Next step, normal pants. That may take awhile. I've lost 22 pounds so far, only 21 more to go. . . Can't wait to get back to the gym, but that will be another seven weeks--actually six weeks and six days. :) I AM SO THANKFUL TO NOT BE PREGNANT ANYMORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not sure if I will do this again, but that will all depend on what Heavenly Father has in store. If my instincts are correct, there is another child there, but I can't even begin to think about doing this all over again. That's at least a year, probably two, down the road. Right now I am just going to enjoy this little angel sent from heaven. I had no idea that things could be this good with a new baby. And he is BEAUTIFUL.

Baby Jonathan Has Arrived

Well, Jennifer is trying to take a quick rest before feeding time, so I thought I would send out a quick update. Jonathan was born on Thursday, February 12, 2009 at 12:54pm. He was 8lbs 13oz and 21.5 inches long - it's a good thing we scheduled an early C-Section. [The nurse just wheeled the little stinker in and we're attempting to feed].

Everything has gone well so far. I watched the surgery and was surprised I didn't pass out - I'm not good with blood. Raegan is missing mommy and can't wait for her to get home with the baby. Both Jennifer's parents and mine have been helping out a lot and we are grateful for that. We'll be in here a couple more days and probably head home.

Here are a few pictures. I'll let Jennifer post more later.