Brooks- Thursday and Friday

On Thursday, we went back to Dr. Hart for a weight check. He was 7 lbs on Monday, 6 lbs 14 oz on Tuesday, 6 lbs 7 oz on Wednesday, and then 6lbs 4 oz on Thursday. Along with pumping and nursing, we are going to try to supplementing. Brooks has similar feeding problems to Jackson's. Brooks also spits up a lot which Jackson did not do as a newborn. We go back to the doctor on Saturday.

Jackson went to school and then stayed with my mom. We tried to take some naps and prepare to stay up late. Brooks does well at night.  He wants to be held and cuddled with.  He wants to stay awake.

On Friday, Rebecca came to do newborn pictures.  Brooks did so great. Jackson however was another story. Of course, he did not want to be in an pictures. Oh well. After she left, Jackson wanted to be outside. Tim went to Skin's and Lowe's.  My mom stayed with us.  Jackson kept calling Tim "Tima." I am not sure where that came from. Jackson decided to throw a pouch all over Brooks' room.  He made the biggest mess! I got to take a nap this afternoon and just rest.  Jackson is staying with my mom again tonight. We have a big doctor's appointment tomorrow.

Brooks-Day 2 and Day 3

We had a pretty good morning. Brooks had his circimcision surgery. While he was gone, Tim ran to get breakfast and went home for a little while. I enjoyed some quiet time in my room. Brooks came back and spent the rest of the morning sleeping. We changed his clothes and discovered most of them are way too big!  After lunch, my mom brought Jackson up.  He was asleep and then woke up in a grumpy mood. He played for a while and ate some snacks. Then Tim took Jackson home to take a nap and play with him. Mom stayed with me and held Brooks so I could take a nap.  Even though Jackson ended up not napping, I still think we all enjoyed a quiet afternoon.

My mom took Jackson home, and my dad came up for awhile.  He was able to hold Brooks for a long time. We had another great nurse on Tuesday night (also happens to live down the street from my parents). Brooks had a rough night, and so did we. He was fussy and wanted to be held. He did not like any of the pacifiers that we brought. At one point, we put him in his bed and just let him fuss. The nurse came in and told us about this great paci.  She went to get it, and of course it was like the ones Jackson too. Brooks liked it too.  That helped for a little while, znd we were able to get a few hours of sleep.

We woke up early on Wednesday and got ready to go home. We just had to wait for Dr. Hearn and Dr. Hart to discharge us. My mom and kackson came up around 10:30, and pretty soon we were ready to go. Jackson has begun to feel too comfortable there and was running down the hallways and out of the room.

Even though I was feeling pretty good, I still looked really swollen and chunky. I hate leaving the hospital and still looking six months pregnant!

We got home around 12:00. The days are already a blur. Brooks did well that first night home.  He slept most of the time.

Welcome Baby Brooks!

Evan Brooks Van Heule was born at 2:14 pm on Monday, May 6. He weighed seven pounds even and was 19 inches long!

Tim and I got to AnMed around 5:00am.  After finally getting checked in, we went back to the room at 5:30. The nurse who was there when I delivered Jackson got me all hooked up to the monitors and my IV placed. I was checked and already dilated to 3cm (I was 2cm on Friday). Then they started my pitocin. Dr. Hearn came in around 7:30 and was ready to break my water. Thankfully, I had a wonderful nurse, Cristina (whose daughter happened to be in my class last year), and she convinced him to wait until after I got the epidural. Things got slow while waiting for the epidural.  There was an emergency, so I had to wait my turn. I finally got the epidural.  Thankfully, my contractions had not been that bad. They were tolerable.

I did feel lots better after the epidural.  Dr. Hearn came to break my water, and I was dilated to 6. I was kind of disappointed.  I wanted to be further along.  This was around 12:00.  Cristina guessed that the baby would be here before 5:00. Even though I couldn't feel the contractions, I could definitely feel the pressure. I used the monitor every time I felt the pressure to check my contractions. I was checked again about 1:45, and I was at 9 cm.   I was shocked!  Then the room got crazy busy as they set up everything for delivery. I started pushing at 2:04 and Brooks was here at 2:14. (That is much better than the 3 hours with Jackson!) Brooks came out crying and covered in white cheesiness! Then it was time for Tim to cut the cord. Brooks then started peeing on Dr. Hearn. My mom missed the picture, so they staged it again. Then he peed all over me! They took him over, wiped him off, and weighed him.  I can't believe he was onl 7 pounds.  Even Dr. Hearn was suprised at how tiny he was!  I finally got to hold him while they cleaned up the room. My mom went out to see Dad,  Tu Tu, Kristi, and Jackson. Tim and I spent some time with Brooks before they moved us to our new room. Even though it has only been 2 years, they have changed the whole delivery process.

We got settled in our new room and waited for the baby nurse. She came in and did all of his measurements and gave him a bath. He was having trouble with his temperature, so he stayed under the warmer for awhile. Finally a little after 4 everyone came in the room. My mom, dad, and Jackson did catch the end of the bath.  Jackson was unsure of the whole situation. He wanted nothing to do with the baby. (Jackson had a very busy day with Tu Tu and Kristi. He was spoiled rotten!)

Everyone took turns holding him. I actually felt really good after this delivery. It was so different from Jackson's.

Jackson got tired, so everyone left.  Cookie and Alexa came over later. They were there when Paula, our nurse, was giving Jackson his hearing test.  All of the test are now given in the room. They hardly ever take them to the nursery.  Brooks passed his hearing test.  Paula was a great nurse. She was very personable and really helpful.

Brooks had a pretty good night.  I let Tim sleep through the night except when I needed to get Brooks. For most of the time, I just held Brooks though.

We had a great first day with Brooks.  We are so blessed with another precious son!